You Belong With Me
by knk4891
Summary: It isn't easy when the guy you have a secret crush on is dating the prettiest, most popular girl in school. It's even harder when that girl is your sister.
1. Typical Tuesday Night

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Hi everyone! Don't worry, I'm still working on my other stories, I just wanted to try something new. I decided to write about a... mixed couple (gasp!). Well, lately I've really enjoyed Alvinor (Alvin and Eleanor) as a couple, so I wanted to try writing about them. Like I said, I just want to try something different. This story is loosley based on Taylor Swift's song "You Belong with Me," a song I used to hate because it was so over-played on the radio, but after a while it really grew on me. Anyway, please let me know what you think. I've never written about a non-canon couple before, so let me know what you think! :)

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"How _dare_ you! Seriously, why the hell would you say something like that?"

Eleanor Miller rolled her eyes and turned up the volume on her iPod. Alvin must have said something to make Brittany upset. Again.

"Quit making excuses!" Brittany yelled into her sequined-covered cell phone. "You always say you're 'just joking'! Well this time it's not going to cut it! And another thing… what? Excuse me? Don't you DARE tell me to relax! God, you're impossible."

Eleanor scrolled through the songs on her playlist, wishing that she could have her own bedroom. She heard Brittany yell, "Screw you, asshole!" She looked up and saw her sister angrily end the call and throw her phone onto her pink bedspread.

"That jerk!" she said, her face red with anger.

Eleanor didn't bother asking Brittany what her boyfriend did to upset her sister. Alvin usually made some silly little comment that Brittany took way too personally and then they would spend the rest of the evening arguing about it over the phone. It happened almost every night; tonight would be no different.

Brittany sighed dramatically. "I'm going to take a long, hot bath," she announced, as if Eleanor actually cared.

After her sister left, Eleanor pulled out her cell phone. She had just bought a new cover for it the weekend before; it was green with little yellow smiley faces all over it. It made her grin every time she saw it.

Eleanor sent a text to Alvin that read: _R u ok?_

Seconds later, her phone beeped. _Yeah_, Alvin wrote, _why?_

_Well I couldn't help but notice Brittany totally just bitched you out. What did u do anyway?_

Eleanor giggled at Alvin's response: _Nothing really. I just told her that her hair looked kinda frizzy today like a clown._

_Way to go,_ Eleanor typed. _You know better than to make fun of Britt's hair._

_I couldn't help myself, _Alvin replied

Eleanor closed her eyes and smiled. A few years ago, she would have _never _thought she'd be friends with Alvin Seville. When they were kids, Eleanor couldn't stand his selfish, egotistical attitude and stupid ideas that got everyone into trouble. But Alvin had grown up a lot since then; he was still a schemer and full of charisma, but his all-about-me attitude had been toned down to the point of being tolerable. Over time, Eleanor had even learned to appreciate his sense of humor, which some people (particularly Brittany) found obnoxious.

Sports had humbled Alvin over the years. In middle school, Alvin was much smaller than most of his classmates, so he had to work extra hard to be good at athletics. Lucky for Alvin, he had some natural athletic abilities, but he still had to try ten times harder than the other boys going out for sports at the time. It brought Alvin back down to Earth a little; he realized that sometimes he needed to work hard in order to get what he wanted, rather than always rely on his fame and charm.

Alvin eventually had his growth spurt and caught up to the other boys and, although he was still a bit too small for football and basketball, he had become a great soccer player. He was only a junior, but he was co-captain of the boys' varsity soccer team at their school (Eleanor was captain of the girls' team).

While Alvin had gotten a little nicer with age, Brittany had become much meaner. As she grew into a teenager, Brittany became more and more beautiful. Blessed with a gorgeous face, flawless body, and a lovely singing voice, Brittany gradually became one of the most popular girls at school. Despite the fact she wasn't technically a human, people still thought she was beautiful. The attention clearly went to Brittany's head. She had always been vain, but now she was way more self-absorbed than Alvin ever was. Jeanette kept insisting to Eleanor that Brittany was just going through a "phase" and that lots of teenage girls go through a "mean cheerleader" stage in their lives. Eleanor hoped her sister was right; she wasn't sure how much more of Brittany's horrible attitude she could take.

Jeanette walked into the room carrying a handful of text books.

"Where is Brittany?" Jeanette asked Eleanor. She set the heavy books on a nearby desk, amazed that she managed to not drop a single one.

Eleanor turned off her iPod. "She's taking a bath."

Jeanette frowned. "I thought she already took a bath tonight."

"Well she's taking another one." Eleanor stared at Alvin's last text. _I couldn't help myself. _He was so cute.

Jeanette sighed. "She asked me if I could help her study for her chemistry test tomorrow. I checked out all these extra books at the library to help her."

Eleanor shook her head in disbelief. Why did Jeanette keep kissing Brittany's butt when Brittany always treated them like dirt? But of course she knew what Jeanette's answer would be: _"Because she's my sister and I love her."_ Eleanor loved Jeanette more than anything, but sometimes she was just _too _nice.

Her brown eyes wandered toward the open bedroom window that was letting in crisp, autumn air that made her shiver slightly. Through the window she could clearly see the Seville's house. Alvin entered her mind once again.

They had become friends in sixth grade. Eleanor remembered the day almost perfectly. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in March and the NCAA college basketball tournament was on TV. Miss Miller had sent her over to the Seville's house to return a cookbook she had borrowed from Dave.

As she got ready to leave the Seville house, Eleanor saw Alvin sitting on the couch in the living room by himself, watching one of the basketball games on television. The game was a close score, but Alvin didn't look very excited about it. In fact, he looked quite bored.

"Are you okay, Alvin?" Eleanor asked. She knew it was none of her business, but she always had that motherly instinct of making sure everyone was fine.

Alvin looked at her and shrugged. "It's just not as much fun watching the games alone," he said in a monotone voice. "Dave usually watches this with me but he's really busy with work."

Sympathy tugged at her heart. Alvin seemed genuinely sad. Even though Eleanor didn't really like Alvin at the time, she felt sorry for him. No one should have to feel lonely.

"I'll watch with you," Eleanor offered. She enjoyed watching college basketball games.

Alvin snorted. "But you're a…"

"Girl?" Eleanor finished his sentence with a smirk. "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about March Madness." She sat next to him on the couch.

Alvin had obviously never watched a sporting event with a girl before; Eleanor could feel his discomfort. But after Eleanor started talking about the game, he began to loosen up. He liked that Eleanor actually knew what she was talking about when it came to basketball. The watched the rest of the game together, cheering and booing at the television the whole time. Eleanor had never had so much fun watching a sporting event.

And a friendship was born.

It made sense that the two would bond over sports. They didn't really have anyone else to discuss them with. Brittany thought sports were stupid, the only competition Theodore understood were eating contests, and Simon and Jeanette were far too busy with science experiments and trips to the library to be interested in athletics. It was something that they had in common, something they could talk about.

"Eleanor? Hello?"

Eleanor snapped out of her daze as Jeanette waved a hand in front of her face. She realized she had been twirling a piece of shoulder-length hair, something she did when she spaced out.

"Were you daydreaming about Theodore?" Jeanette asked with a knowing smile.

"For the last time, Jeanette," Eleanor said with a sigh, "Theodore is _just_ a friend."

For some reason people had it in their heads that Theodore and Eleanor liked each other. Eleanor knew it was a cliché, but she thought of Theodore as more of a brother than a boyfriend. Sure, they had an innocent boyfriend/girlfriend relationship in elementary school, but those days were long gone. Their cute little crushes on each other had faded away years ago; they just didn't have much in common anymore.

But people didn't seem to get that, not even Eleanor's own sisters. Eleanor had faced the fact long ago that she and Theodore would be forever linked just because they both like the color green and enjoy cooking.

Eleanor was somewhat content that Jeanette thought she was thinking about Theodore instead of who she was really thinking about… Alvin. She wanted to tell Jeanette about her crush on Alvin, but she just couldn't. She felt guilty enough about liking her sister's boyfriend, even if Brittany had been a total bitch lately. But Brittany _was_ her sister, and to be fair, she had Alvin first.

Brittany suddenly waltzed into the bedroom. She was wrapped in a fuzzy pink robe. Her long, damp hair hung around her shoulders. Eleanor could smell her fruity shampoo from across the room.

"Are you ready to study Britt?" Jeanette asked, gesturing toward the books.

Brittany raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and looked at her sister. "Study?"

Jeanette nodded. "Remember yesterday when you asked me to help you study for your test?"

Brittany looked confused for a few seconds, but then her face brightened as she recalled the memory. "Oh_ yeah_. I remember." She took a long, horrified look at the tall stack of books and forced a yawn. "Sorry, Jeanette, but I'm actually feeling a little sleepy. I think I'll skip the studying and go to bed."

Jeanette's face fell. "But… I got all these books for you…"

Brittany walked toward her bed. "Thanks but I'm not in a studying mood."

"But if you don't pass the test, you'll have an F in the course," Jeanette pointed out.

Brittany shrugged. "I can always take it again next semester. Thanks anyway, sis."

Jeanette stood by the books, her mouth open with disbelief. There was an obvious sadness in her eyes, which made Eleanor's heart ache.

Eleanor glared at her eldest sister. She was such a… _bitch._ What was so special about her anyway? Why did everyone think she was so great? What did Alvin see in her?

Then Brittany removed her robe, revealing a sexy pink night gown.

Oh yeah. _That's _why everyone liked her.

Jeanette left the room, slamming the door shut on her way out. It made Brittany and Eleanor jump. Jeanette rarely did door-slams… she usually wasn't angry enough to do it.

"What's _her_ problem?" Brittany scoffed.

"You," Eleanor muttered under her breath.

Brittany turned off the lights, not bothering to ask Eleanor if she minded. But Eleanor was ready to go to sleep herself. It was only a little past nine, but she was exhausted from a tough soccer practice.

Eleanor turned on the dim lamp on her nightstand and looked at the framed photograph next to it. It was a picture of her and her sisters in front of The Leaning Tower of Pisa when they were kids. It was taken during their trip around the world (to this day, it was still a mystery to Eleanor how six eight-year-old kids made it around the planet by themselves without getting killed). Eleanor studied the picture, noting how happy she and her sisters looked; back when Brittany acted like she cared about them.

Eleanor felt a twinge of guilt. Brittany was her sister. She shouldn't be thinking such mean thoughts about her own sister, no matter how selfish Brittany was acting. It was bad enough that she had a huge secret crush on her boyfriend.

She heard Brittany climb into the bed next to hers and rudely say, "Could you turn off your light? You know I need it to be totally dark for me to get any sleep."

Too tired to argue, Eleanor shut off her lamp. "Good night, Britt."

"Uh huh," Brittany mumbled back.

Eleanor rolled on her back and stared at the dark ceiling. She hoped for Alvin's sake that Brittany wouldn't be mean like this forever. Alvin deserved someone better; someone nice, someone who liked sports as much as he did, someone with a good sense of humor, someone who would love him for who he was.

_Someone like me,_ Eleanor thought as she drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: Sooo... what'd ya think? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! *please!*


	2. Note to Self: Always Pack Lunch

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Chipmunks/Chipettes.

**Author's Note:** Like the last chapter, this one isn't too exciting, just something that explains what's going on. I wanted to give readers an idea of what their school was like, who Eleanor's friends are, and stuff like that. Anyway, don't forget to review. Please?

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The next afternoon, Eleanor was staring at the lumpy brown stuff on her lunch tray, trying to figure out what it was (meat loaf maybe?). Normally Eleanor packed her lunch, but she and her sisters woke up late that morning and she didn't have time to make lunch for herself and Jeanette (Brittany didn't eat lunch at school; she didn't like eating in front of her friends). Of course Brittany blamed the whole waking-up-late thing on Jeanette, saying that since Jeanette was the last one to go to bed, she should have set the alarm.

Eleanor paid for her lunch and headed toward her usual lunch table. Jeanette, Simon, and Theodore were in the earlier lunch, while Eleanor, Alvin, and Brittany had the later lunch period. Eleanor took her seat at the small circle table next to her friends Candice and Mara, two girls from the soccer team.

"Hi Ellie!" Mara greeted cheerfully, her friendly smile revealing a row of silver braces on her teeth.

"Hey," Eleanor replied.

Candice, the tallest girl in their grade, raised her eyebrows when she saw Eleanor's unusual food choice. "You bought the school lunch today?"

Eleanor nodded. "I didn't have time to pack my lunch this morning," she explained, stirring the mysterious substance with a plastic fork. Eleanor, who often thought of cooking as an art, was very unimpressed with the disgusting display on her pea-green tray. It didn't even look like the school made an effort to make decent food.

The cafeteria was loud, yet Eleanor heard a familiar high pitched giggle from a few tables away. She looked over and saw Brittany perched on Alvin's lap, laughing hysterically at something. Even though the Chipettes only had about ten minutes to get ready for school that morning, Brittany still managed to look amazing. Her dirty blond hair was in a low, sleek side ponytail, her make-up was perfectly applied, and her tiny yellow top and denim short shorts made all the boys in the room take a second glance. Eleanor had to give her sister some credit; somehow she always managed to look flawless.

Alvin and Brittany sitting at a large, crowded table surrounded by people that were either exceptionally good at sports, wealthy, or beautiful (some were a combination of all three). This was known to everyone else as The Popular Table. When Eleanor was younger, her optimism convinced her that there would be no cliques in high school; everyone would be friends and get along. But obviously that was just wishful thinking. The high school she attended looked like it was straight out of an 80's teen movie; the good-looking jocks and rich kids were popular, the smart and/or awkward kids were geeks and losers, and everyone else fell somewhere in between.

"They're announcing Homecoming Princesses today," Mara said, taking a bit of sandwich.

Eleanor had completely forgotten about Homecoming. Every year, the underclassmen (freshmen, sophomores, and juniors) voted on a girl from their grade to be Homecoming Princess. Then they got to elect a Homecoming Queen, who had to be a senior.

"Who did you guys vote for?" Candice asked.

"I voted for Brittany Miller," Mara said.

"No way!" Candice widened her pale blue eyes. "Me too!"

Eleanor scoffed. "Why?" she asked.

Candice and Mara looked at Eleanor in surprise. Eleanor didn't mean to say that; it just came out.

"Well," Mara began, "don't you think she kind of fits the part? As a princess, I mean."

Eleanor wanted to say, "Sure, if you think Homecoming Princess should be someone shallow, self-centered, rude, temperamental, and lazy, then yes, Brittany _does_ fit the part." But of course Eleanor couldn't say that out loud about her own sister. So she just shrugged and muttered, "Never mind."

Mara grinned and looked at toward The Popular Table where Alvin and Brittany were sitting.

"Aren't they just the cutest couple?" Mara cooed.

"I know," Candice agreed. "They're, like, _perfect_ for each other."

"Yeah," Mara said. "It's no surprise that they've… well, _you know_ with each other." Mara's freckled face turned a deep shade of red. Being brought up in an extremely conservative household, Mara always got embarrassed when it came to things like sex.

Candice looked at Eleanor and laughed. "Sorry El. It's probably weird to hear all those stories about Brittany and Alvin since Brittany is your sister."

"Yeah," Eleanor sighed. The truth was that Eleanor wasn't sure those "stories" were even true. She had heard the rumors about Alvin and Brittany's supposed sex life, but Eleanor couldn't help but think that someone had made them up. Or maybe she just didn't believe the rumors because she didn't want them to be true. It was most likely due to her always optimistic mind set.

"Excuse me," a loud voice boomed from a microphone. Principal Stevens was standing on the stage, his bald head looking shiny from the florescent lights. "Excuse me, I have an announcement! It's time to reveal who the Homecoming Princesses are."

The once noisy lunchroom was suddenly filled with a chorus of "Shhhh!"

"Representing the freshman class is Kimberly Martin," the principal's voice boomed.

Eleanor saw a petite blond girl at a table nearby squeal with delight. Her friends started hugging her and gushing, "Yay Kim!"

"The sophomore class's princess is Shea Baxter," Mr. Stevens continued. "And your junior class princess is…"

_Brittany Miller,_ Eleanor mentally finished the principal's sentence.

"Brittany Miller!"

The Popular Table erupted with cheers and claps. Brittany was smiling her toothpaste commercial smile, acting like she had just been crowned Miss America. Then she turned to Alvin and gave him a long kiss on the lips, making their fellow classmates howl and whistle, like they were watching a couple on a sitcom make-out.

When the kiss ended, Alvin looked up. His eyes met Eleanor's for a fraction of a second before she quickly turned away.

"The candidates for Homecoming Queen will be announced tomorrow," Mr. Stevens reminded the students before turning off the microphone.

Mara looked at Eleanor and smiled. "That's so exciting that your sister is a Homecoming Princess! She'll get to be in the parade and everything."

Eleanor forced a smile and nodded. Once again she felt guilty about harboring negative feelings toward Brittany. She _should_ be happy for her; Brittany was her sister.

"So Ellie," Candice said, "Mara and I are going over to Shannon's house after school to hang out. Do you want to come?"

"No thanks," Eleanor politely declined the invite. "I'm going to work on some new moves for the game on Saturday."

"Eleanor!" Mara whined. "We don't have practice today. Don't you want to take the day off?"

Eleanor shook her head. "Nah, I don't need a day off. I want to get this move down by Saturday. Plus this is a perfect time for me to use the soccer field, since the boys don't have practice either. I can't just waste that opportunity."

Candice grinned and rolled her eyes. "No wonder we elected you captain. You practice even when we aren't supposed to."

"I just want to get better," Eleanor said matter-of-factly. And that was the truth. Eleanor had been working super hard this season, and they only had a few more games left on the schedule. The team they were facing on Saturday was state-ranked and Eleanor was determined to pull the upset.

A few minutes later the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Eleanor realized she had barely even touched her food. She felt bad about wasting lunch money, but she wasn't even sure if the food was edible.

When Eleanor stood up to throw away her lunch, she looked up to see Brittany frowning at her boyfriend. Alvin said a few words, but Brittany turned around and stomped away, an annoyed expression on her pretty face. No one else was really paying attention to the scene; people were too busy heading off to their next class.

Eleanor didn't understand what was going on with those two. About five minutes ago, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other and now Brittany wanted nothing to do with him.

Then she saw Alvin look toward her. He smiled when he saw her watching, and gave her shrug as if to say, "Hey, what can you do?"

The blond Chipette grinned in response.

Eleanor glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. Only two and a half more hours left of school. Then it would just be her and the soccer field; no snobby sister, no lovable-yet-clueless friends, and best of all, no red cap-wearing Chipmunk that seemed to enter her mind every three seconds. Eleanor couldn't wait for a distraction-free soccer session.

But of course, that was only Eleanor's typical optimistic thinking.

***

A/N: Don't worry, there will be a lot more Alvin next chapter. Don't forget to review... the more you review, the more motivated I am to write!


	3. How it Ought to be

After school, Eleanor pushed open the heavy door that led to the girls' locker room. When she entered, she was hit by a cloud of cheap perfume lingering from last period's P.E. class. The cold room was often noisy with gossip and slamming lockers, but at the moment the only sound was of Eleanor's sneakers hitting the tiled floor. She wasn't surprised she was the only girl to show up to play soccer when there was no scheduled practice; no one on the team was near as dedicated as she was.

She made her way toward the corner of the empty room where her locker was and opened it to pull out her black cleats, soccer shorts, and t-shirt. She took off her shirt and jeans and caught her reflection in the dirty full length mirror on the wall.

Eleanor looked at her body, her gaze wandering from her full bust to her flat stomach to her athletic legs. Thanks to puberty, a better diet, and hours of intense soccer practices, she had shed her baby fat and was left with a healthy hourglass figure. She wasn't as skinny as her sisters, but she thought she looked okay; at least she wasn't known as "the fat one" anymore. Candice often said Eleanor's shape reminded her of a sexy pin-up girl from the 1950's, which Eleanor took as a complement. And sometimes she actually believed it… but there were some days when she just thought she resembled a pear with big boobs.

Eleanor put on her soccer clothes and laced up her cleats. After a few quick swipes of deodorant, she pulled her white-blond hair into a ponytail, grabbed a soccer ball from the ball bin and headed outside toward the field.

The large green field was totally deserted. The boys' team had already practiced before school, so Eleanor had the whole place to herself.

After a few minutes of warming up, Eleanor was ready to get started. She wanted to upgrade one of her famous moves. She knew she'd be nearly unstoppable if she could get it right.

She dribbled the soccer ball to the opposite end of the field. When she got near the goal, she kicked the ball up and bounced it on her knees a few times.

Fake right, fake left, kick up…

Eleanor sighed in frustration as the ball fell to the ground. She had tried to get it high enough where she could head-butt the ball in the net.

The blond Chipette tried again.

And again.

And again.

But after twenty minutes, Eleanor still couldn't do the move right. She wiped sweat off her forehead, wishing she would have worn a headband. Even though it was October, California autumns usually weren't much cooler than their summers.

After Eleanor tried (and failed) another attempt, she heard a voice behind her say, "Trying something new?"

Eleanor recognized the voice immediately and her heart involuntarily fluttered with excitement. She turned around and smiled at the boy in the red t-shirt, long shorts, and cleats. He had an adorable sideways grin on his face and his messy sandy-colored hair was poking out of backwards-turned cap.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

Alvin shrugged and answered, "Spying on you."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. If flirting was an Olympic sport, Alvin would be a gold medalist. She had to constantly remind herself that Alvin flirted with dozens of girls daily (despite the fact he was dating Brittany) and that she was nothing special. Alvin was just naturally charismatic toward everyone.

"What are you _really_ doing here?" she asked.

"The same reason you're here," Alvin replied. "It's not every day you have a field to yourself to practice on." He folded his arms across his chest. "So I couldn't help but notice you're having some trouble with that move."

Eleanor sighed. "_Some_ trouble would be an understatement," she admitted. She absent-mindedly tapped the ball with her toe. "I just can't get it right for some reason."

"Is this what you're going for?" Alvin scooped up the ball with his feet, bounced it on his knee a few times, and hit it off his forehead, sending the ball soaring into the net.

Eleanor raised her eyebrows. "That's exactly right," she said in awe. "How did you know that was what I was trying to do?" She looked at him. "How long have you been watching me anyway?"

"Long enough to know you can't do it right," Alvin said playfully.

"Stalker," she accused. The blond retrieved the ball and walked back to Alvin. "So do you mind showing me how you did that?" She usually didn't like asking for help, especially from a guy… she didn't want to be perceived as a weak, girly-girl (it was bad enough she had a huge crush on someone out of her league) but she was desperate to be able to do the move by the next game.

"Okay," Alvin agreed. "But it'll cost you."

Eleanor put her hands on her hips, showing she was clearly not in the mood for making deals. "Just show me the move, Alvin."

Alvin laughed. "Fine, I'll offer my services for free… this time." He gestured toward the ball. "Show me what you've got, Miller."

Eleanor began her move flawlessly, but when it came time to hit the ball toward her head, it fell short and landed in the soft grass.

Eleanor frowned and gave the ball an angry kick. "What am I doing wrong?" she groaned.

"You aren't getting your butt high enough," Alvin said matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" Eleanor's face flushed at Alvin talking about her butt. _He was looking at my butt!_ her head screamed. She wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or extremely self-conscious.

"When you kick the ball up," Alvin went on, "raise your butt higher. It'll give the ball more leverage."

Still feeling a little embarrassed, Eleanor tried the move again, this time following Alvin's instructions. The ball_ did_ get more leverage, and went high enough so she could hit it off her forehead. Eleanor used her head to send the ball into the goal, and it landed exactly where she wanted it to.

A rush of excitement went through Eleanor. She squealed with joy and yelled, "I did it! I _finally_ did it!" She turned to Alvin, who had a satisfied smile on his face. "Alvin, I did it!"

Before she knew what she was doing, Eleanor jumped on Alvin and wrapped her arms around him. This caught Alvin off-guard, and he fell backwards on the ground as Eleanor fell on top of him, causing both of them to go into a fit of laughter.

"Sorry," Eleanor said, still giggling. She stopped when she saw Alvin was no longer laughing. Instead, he was looking at her, slightly grinning.

"Don't worry about it," he said in a low voice, never taking his eyes off her.

Eleanor bit her bottom lip nervously. There she was lying on top of the guy she liked, both of them staring at each other lustfully. It was a moment straight out of a cheesy romantic comedy. Eleanor wished she could enjoy it, but…

_HE'S YOUR SISTER'S BOYFRIEND!!!_ The voice in her head went off like an alarm clock.

Eleanor pushed herself off of Alvin and scrambled to her feet. "Thanks for helping me," Eleanor said quickly, not being able to look at him.

Alvin stayed on the soft ground and propped himself up with his elbows. "No problem."

Eleanor tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "How long were you planning on staying?"

"I dunno," Alvin said. He turned his hat around. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you could give me a ride home," Eleanor said. It was Brittany's turn to drive the car that the Chipettes shared, and she was at cheerleading practice. The Millers only had enough money for two cars and Miss Miller wasn't going to be giving away her pink Cadillac anytime soon.

"Hmm," Alvin said as he stood up. "I'll give you a ride home if you beat me in a soccer game, right here, right now."

Eleanor's jaw dropped. "Come on, Alvin," she complained. "That's _so_ unfair!"

She may have been able to play at his level when they were kids, but as Alvin got older, Eleanor was no match for his speed and strength.

"First one to five goals wins," Alvin said, picking up the black and white ball.

Assuming that Alvin would give her a ride home no matter what, Eleanor decided to give in to the challenge. She narrowed her eyes and unsuccessfully tried to hold back a grin. "You're on, Seville."

They played their game, which Alvin won (He scored 5 goals to Eleanor's 2).

"Best two out of three," Eleanor challenged, not wanting to look like a total loser.

"Fine," Alvin said with a cocky grin. "It's almost as if you _like_ getting your ass kicked."

"We'll see about that," Eleanor said as she dribbled the ball toward her opponent's goal.

Unsurprisingly, Alvin won the next game as well. Despite Alvin's dominance, they played one-on-one for the next hour. Not only did they have fun, but they also got a great workout. Both of them were drenched in sweat thanks to running in the hot sun.

"I'm beat," Eleanor announced after Alvin scored yet another goal against her.

"Really?" Alvin took off her hat and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I could do this all day."

"Yeah right," Eleanor said, giving him a playful push. She instantly regretting the flirty gesture… who was she fooling? "So, about my ride home…"

"What ride?" Alvin scoffed. "You're walking, sister. The deal was that if I win, you don't get a ride."

Eleanor studied Alvin. It was obvious that he was trying not to laugh.

"_Fine_," Alvin said, rolling his eyes. "I'll meet you in the parking lot in a few minutes."

After Eleanor went to the locker room to get her stuff and splash some water on her face to cool herself off, she found his candy apple red convertible with the top down in the parking lot. Alvin was leaning against the front door wearing his favorite pair of sunglasses, still dressed in his sweaty athletic clothes. He was texting someone on his cell phone, and Eleanor had a pretty good idea of who it was.

"It's about time," Alvin said, looking up from his phone. "It feels like I've been waiting out here for years."

"Shut up," Eleanor laughed as she threw her gym bag in the back seat. She climbed into the passenger's seat and turned on the radio as soon as Alvin started the car.

Eleanor twisted the tuner, trying to find a good station. She stopped when she heard a 90's boy band song and turned up the volume as loud as it could go.

Alvin laughed and shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

Eleanor just smiled and started singing along to the music. As she expected, Alvin started singing along too. They sang at the top of their lungs, their hair blowing around wildly thanks to the wind.

Eleanor giggled as she looked over at Alvin singing his heart out, driving his usual ten miles over the speed limit. That was one of the things she liked about Alvin; he seemed to know all the words to every single song ever recorded. And he was never hesitant to sing along, even if it was a corny Backstreet Boys hit.

She saw herself in the rearview mirror, and saw that even though her hair was in a ponytail, the wind had still messed it up royally. But she didn't mind; she loved riding in cars with the top down, especially with the radio blasting from the speakers. She wasn't sure why, but it just made her feel so wonderful, so free. Still singing, she titled her head back and let the cool breeze tickle her face.

The drive to their houses wasn't long, and shortly after the song ended, Alvin was pulling into his driveway (he didn't bother stopping at the Miller's house, since he knew Eleanor could just walk next door to get there).

Alvin cut the engine and leaned back in his seat. "People can say what they want about boy bands," he said, "but their songs are pretty damn catchy."

"Agreed," Eleanor stated. She reached for her bag in the back seat and got out of the shiny vehicle. "Thanks for the ride," she told him after he had gotten out of the car.

"Anytime," Alvin replied with a grin. He looked toward the Miller's house and asked, "Do you think Brittany is home from cheerleading yet?"

Eleanor's heart dropped. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about Alvin dating her sister. It was like she had just awakened from a wonderful dream and was forced to face the unfortunate reality again.

"I don't know," Eleanor muttered. "She usually gets home around four-thirty."

Right on cue, a silver car turned onto their street and pulled into the Miller's driveway. Brittany was waving from the driver's seat.

"Speak of the devil," Alvin chuckled. He turned to Eleanor. "Thanks for the soccer game. It's been a while since we've played one-on-one."

"We'll have to do it more often," Eleanor said hopefully.

"Definitely," Alvin said in a serious voice, looking her directly in the eyes.

_Is it just me,_ Eleanor thought as she blushed, _or is he hardcore flirting?_

Brittany's car door slammed, making them turn their attention across the yard to the Miller's driveway.

"I sent you a text like five minutes ago," Brittany hollered at Alvin. "Why haven't you been answering me?"

Alvin walked toward his girlfriend. "Sorry," Eleanor heard him say. "The radio was kind of loud and I couldn't hear my phone ring." When he reached her, Brittany was frowning.

Eleanor stood alone in the Seville's yard and watched Alvin say something else to Brittany. She was out of hearing distance and couldn't make out what he was saying. Whatever he said made Brittany grin mischievously and pull him into a hug. Then they followed up the hug with a long kiss.

_I guess it was just me_, Eleanor thought. Feeling disappointed, she reluctantly walked across the green lawn toward her home.


	4. Loserville, CA

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been getting more hours at work, so I haven't have as much free time to write. But I _finally_ got this chapter finished. This chapter is in Alvin's point of view, just to switch things up a little. And thank you to the user Leela's Back for giving some suggestions on this chapter. It is much appreciated! Anyway, enjoy the story. Don't forget to review (please?). Hope y'all like it! :)**

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Alvin Seville wondered what was wrong with him.

The most beautiful girl in school was in his bedroom wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini and all he could think about was how much he wished she'd stop talking.

Brittany stood by the full length mirror on the wall, adjusting her ponytail and checking out her flawless swimsuit-clad body. She was also talking a mile a minute, and Alvin hadn't been listening to a word she was saying.

"Alvin!" Brittany snapped, noticing his vacant expression. "Have you been listening to me?"

"Uh, yeah," he lied. Alvin rolled over in his bed to face her. He quickly tried to recall what Brittany had been yapping about. "You were saying something about a button."

Brittany sighed. "My _belly_ button. I was thinking about getting it pierced." Brittany turned toward him and fluttered her long, mascara-coated eyelashes. "What do you think?"

Alvin's eyes dropped to her flat stomach and he couldn't help but smile. "I don't have a problem with it."

Brittany smirked and said, "I figured you wouldn't mind."

Then Brittany went back to talking, saying something about how there was no way Miss Miller would allow for her to get her naval pierced so she'd have to try to figure out a way to get it without her knowing. Alvin just leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes.

It had been a long day. His family and the Miller family had attended Eleanor's soccer game earlier that afternoon. Despite a good game from Eleanor (she scored a goal), the other team won 3-2. Afterwards the Sevilles invited the girls to come over that night and hang out in the new hot tub.

Alvin wondered if Eleanor would show up. She seemed pretty upset about the tough loss; he knew Eleanor really wanted to beat the state-ranked team. Like him, Eleanor _hated_ to lose. But he hoped she would decide to come over anyway.

"I'm going downstairs," Alvin announced. He was getting bored, and Alvin Seville did not do well in a boring environment.

"Why?" Brittany snorted and watched him get up from bed.

"Because," Alvin said, "I'm the host. I should go join the party."

Brittany walked up to him and slid her arms around his neck. She leaned forward and whispered, "Why don't we have our own party up here?"

Alvin smirked. Usually he'd gladly take up Brittany's offer, but for some reason that night, he just wasn't feeling it. He wanted to see what everyone else was doing downstairs.

Again, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.

Suddenly they heard a familiar pop song blaring from Brittany's cell phone, which was lying on Alvin's dresser. Rolling her eyes, Brittany picked up the phone and barked, "Hello?" Alvin watched her expression soften. "Oh," Brittany cooed. "Hey, Missy!" She put her hand over the phone and whispered to her boyfriend, "I have to take this. I'll be down in a sec."

Shrugging his shoulders, Alvin left Brittany alone in his bedroom talking to Missy Snootson, possibly the most conceited girl in California. Brittany and Missy were practically enemies during elementary school, constantly bickering over who was prettier, who had the best clothes, and other shallow things. However, once Brittany began getting more popular, Missy suddenly wanted to be her "BFF."

Although, he supposed the same could be true for him. He and Brittany were always arguing when they were younger, trying to one-up each other every chance they got. But after a while, something between them changed. The flirting increased, the fighting decreased, and they both realized they were attracted to each other. By the time high school rolled around, the two found themselves dating, and for a while all was well. They were the "it" couple in their school, and they had fun together. And despite the fact that Alvin knew he was a huge flirt, he couldn't imagine dating anyone else.

But lately Alvin felt as if he couldn't do anything right. Brittany was always angry with him about something, even things that didn't seem like a big deal. And while Brittany had never exactly been Mother Teresa, she had recently become even more obsessed about her looks and public image than ever before. Brittany just wasn't much fun anymore… but Alvin was hopeful that this was just some silly teenage girl phase and that she would snap out of it soon.

_But is it still a phase if it's lasted nearly two years?_ Alvin thought.

Alvin continued going down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw Eleanor helping Theodore gather snacks on a tray, wearing a large white t-shirt as a swimsuit cover-up. He felt relieved at Eleanor's presence. Seeing her always put him in a relaxed mood.

"Hey," he said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Eleanor looked at him and widened her eyes, as if she were caught off guard. "Um, hey," she stuttered. She cleared her throat. "I mean, hi Alvin."

Alvin raised his eyebrows as he watched her blush. Lately Ellie had been acting a little weird around him, like he was making her uncomfortable or something.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Alvin said, hoping she would relax a little.

"Why's that?" Eleanor asked, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Alvin shrugged. "I don't know. I figured you'd still be upset about the loss today…"

Eleanor snorted. "Just because we lost doesn't mean I'm going to lock myself in my room and mope the rest of the day." She gave him a playful smile. "To be honest, I'm surprised to see _you_ here."

"What do you mean?" Alvin asked, completely confused. "It's my house."

"You're _never_ home on Saturday nights," Eleanor pointed out. She started pouring fruit punch into tall glasses. "You and Brittany are usually off at parties on weekend nights."

Alvin couldn't help but notice a slight edge to Eleanor's voice, almost as if it annoyed her that they went off to parties. He decided not to mention that he and Brittany had gotten in plenty of partying the night before at Derek Kent's house after the football game.

"We decided to stay in tonight," Alvin told her. Well, _he_ had decided to stay in tonight, and Brittany reluctantly agreed to join the hot tub get-together. He decided to change the subject. "So, I never told you this earlier, but that was a great game today… besides the whole, you know, losing part."

Eleanor gave him a warm smile. "Thanks. I would have given anything to beat them though."

"I know," Alvin said. He watched her finish pouring the bright red liquid and set the glasses on the tray.

"Hey guys," Theodore said from the open refrigerator, "do you want grapes or strawberries?"

Alvin flinched at his brother's words. He had completely forgotten that Theodore was in the same room.

"Might as well bring both," Eleanor said. She walked over to the shortest Seville brother and helped him carry the fruit to the tray. She admired the food and drinks on the trays and announced, "I think we're set."

The three made their way outside to the back patio, where Simon and Jeanette were sitting in the large hot tub, having a seemingly casual conversation. The night was lovely; the sky was dark blue, dusted with silver stars. Fireflies danced around the quiet yard and the patio was illuminated by the dim porch light.

After the trays were set on the nearby table, Theodore slowly made his way into the tub, allowing himself plenty of time to adjust to the hot water. Alvin yanked off his t-shirt and jumped right in, splashing water all over Simon, who was sitting next to him.

Alvin grinned when he saw his frustrated brother glaring at him through his wet glasses.

"Thanks a lot, Alvin," Simon growled.

"Sorry," Alvin said with a shrug.

Simon wiped his glasses off with a nearby towel and went into some boring story that seemed to captivate Jeanette and Theodore. Alvin rolled his eyes, his gaze falling straight ahead. Eleanor was standing outside the hot tub. Alvin watched as she pulled off her loose fitting t-shirt, revealing a teal two-piece bathing suit.

Alvin kept his eyes on Eleanor as she pulled her blond hair into a ponytail. The last time he had seen her in a bathing suit, she had been wearing a modest one-piece when they all went to the beach together a few months back. He had never seen her wear something so revealing. He couldn't help but notice her clear complexion, the fullness of her breasts, her toned stomach, round hips, and her shapely legs.

His heart raced as Eleanor climbed into the hot tub. He was stunned by how beautiful she looked. She wasn't as thin as her sisters, but she was curvy in all the right places. Alvin couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Alvin watched Eleanor obediently listen to whatever Simon was blabbing about, sipping her glass of punch. _She has no idea how hot she looks,_ Alvin realized. For some reason, Alvin found Eleanor's obliviousness to her beauty made her even sexier.

He forced himself to look away. _Did I just think Ellie was sexy?_ Alvin thought. Eleanor was his _friend_. This was the girl he watched football and played video games with. He wasn't supposed to think Eleanor was _hot_.

Suddenly he heard the screen door open and shut. He looked behind him and saw Brittany emerging from the house, wearing one of Alvin's hooded sweatshirts over her bikini.

"I still don't understand why Dave would wait until October to get a hot tub," she complained. "If he would have bought it earlier in the summer, we could have gotten a lot more use out of it."

When Brittany got to the tub, she pulled off Alvin's sweatshirt she had been wearing and proudly showed off her new white string bikini, which seemed to glow against her tanned complexion. Alvin took a quick look at Brittany, but then turned his attention elsewhere. He knew Brittany had an amazing body… but it suddenly seemed boring to him. He found himself wishing that he could look at Eleanor again, but knew that Brittany would notice if he directed his attention toward someone other than her.

Brittany climbed into the tub, pushing herself in between Simon and Alvin. Simon narrowed his eyes at the Chipette as he got shoved out of the way.

"Sorry Si," Brittany said, giving Simon a sweet smile.

Simon just shook his head with annoyance and continued talking.

Brittany scooted closer to Alvin and rested her head on his shoulder. Her hair tickled his nose and her elbow was jamming into his ribs, but he knew she'd get pissed off if he tried to adjust her position.

Alvin felt Eleanor watching him. He looked up, and sure enough, Eleanor's wide brown eyes were staring back at him. When she noticed his gaze, she quickly turned her head and took another drink of punch.

Alvin smiled. He couldn't really blame her for staring at him. Lifting weights and working out regularly had given him a nice build, one that he wasn't afraid to flaunt.

He felt Brittany shift against him. She raised herself higher, so they were face-to-face.

"That was Missy on the phone," she whispered. "There's a huge party at her place right now. We should go. It sounds amazing."

Alvin rolled his eyes. "We just got here."

"So?" Brittany said softly, so the others wouldn't hear her. "Do you really want to spend the rest of the night with our boring-ass siblings?"

Alvin shrugged. Maybe Simon and Theodore weren't exactly party animals, but they were good company. And despite Simon's lame story, everyone seemed to be having a pretty decent time.

"Come on Britt," Alvin said, trying to talk her out of it, even though he knew it was hopeless. "Missy has parties all the time. It won't be a big deal if you miss one."

Brittany's icy blue eyes narrowed at him. "It _is_ a big deal, Alvin," Brittany insisted. "Everyone will be _expecting _me to be there. Look, we can stay here in Loserville for a little while longer, but I'm going to be at that party by eleven."

Alvin tried his hardest not to snap at her. He was more than a little insulted that she would refer to his house as "Loserville," implying that his brothers and Jeanette and Eleanor weren't worthy enough of her presence. He was about to suggest that she just go to Missy's stupid party without him when he noticed Eleanor turn around to get out of the tub. His eyes immediately traveled to the bottoms of her wet swimsuit, and he found himself staring at her perfectly round…

"Assembling the right parts was by far the most challenging part of the experiment," Alvin heard Simon say loudly. "It took a lot of work getting all the right pieces together."

Eleanor got out of the hot tub. She slipped on her shirt and flip-flops and padded into the house.

Alvin waited a few minutes before he excused himself.

"Nature calls," he announced to the others.

When he stood up to leave, Brittany tugged at his red swim trunks. He looked down at her as she mouthed the words, "_Remember, eleven_." She tilted her head at the waterproof digital wristwatch Simon was wearing. It read 10:22.

In response, Alvin simply climbed out of the warm water, not giving his girlfriend any confirmation that he was agreeing to attend the party with her.

Alvin went inside, and found Eleanor emerging from the bathroom in the hallway.

"Hey," he said.

Eleanor jumped, not expecting him. "Hey," she said with a smile.

"Nice swimsuit," Alvin blurted. It was the first thing that came to mind. Hell, it was practically the _only_ thing on his mind.

"Thanks," Eleanor said, tugging self-consciously at her big t-shirt. "I bought it at the beginning of summer, but I totally forgot about it until I found it today."

Alvin nodded. "You should wear it more often," he said, feeling bold.

He smiled as Eleanor's face turned pink. Her modesty was cute.

"So," she said, looking desperate to change the subject. "Are you leaving soon?"

Alvin folded his arms across his toned chest. "Ah," he said with a smirk, "Eavesdropping, were we?"

Eleanor shrugged. "I couldn't help but overhear," she admitted. "It's not like I was listening to Simon. He lost me at the words 'Ground-breaking experiment.'"

Alvin laughed and said, "Well Brittany wants to leave, but I don't. Missy's parties are always the same thing."

"So you'd rather hang out here with boring old us?" Eleanor asked with a grin.

Alvin leaned closer. "I'd rather hang out with _you_," he said, truly meaning it.

Eleanor grinned and bit her bottom lip shyly. Alvin loved when girls bit their lip. He thought it was one of the sexiest gestures ever. And Eleanor looked especially cute when she did it.

Alvin realized he was doing it again: thinking Eleanor was hot. And he knew he was flirting with her. He had gotten out of the hot tub just to be alone with her. He admitted that he wanted to hang out with her instead of going to a potential Party of the Year at Missy Snootson's house.

These were definitely not "friendly" things he was doing here. And that's all he and Ellie were: friends. He had a girlfriend, and he was sure Eleanor didn't think of him as anything more than a good pal. So the flirting needed to stop. Now.

Alvin smirked at the ridiculous thought. He was Alvin Seville. He couldn't just _stop_ flirting with someone, no matter who it was.

"So are you leaving?" Eleanor asked again.

Alvin thought for a minute. If he stayed, Brittany would be furious and make his life a living hell for the next twenty-four hours. If he went, he'd have to be around drunk, horny teenagers all night and wouldn't be able to partake in any of the partying himself because he would have to be Brittany's designated driver.

But why did everything always have to revolve around Brittany? Alvin decided to do what he wanted to do.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured his friend.

Eleanor smiled. "Cool," she said.

"Shall we?" Alvin motioned toward the screen door.

"We shall," Eleanor giggled. They walked outside together and noticed Simon had finally finished talking. Theodore was passing around the tray of snacks.

"No thanks," Brittany said when Theodore offered the tray to her. Her tiny nose wrinkled in disgust, as if they tray was covered in mud. Alvin saw her look at Simon's watch again. "Let's get out of here," she said to him as he climbed in the tub.

Alvin simply said, "I'm staying."

He could practically see the fire in Brittany's angry eyes when the words left his mouth.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"You heard me." Alvin grabbed a glass of punch from the tray. "I'm staying."

Brittany stared at him for a few seconds, the expression on her face a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Fine!" Brittany spat. She got out of the hot tub and slammed the screen door when she went inside.

Alvin looked up to see his siblings and Eleanor and Jeanette staring back at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"What was _that _all about?" Simon asked the question the others were wondering.

Alvin took a long drink of punch, loving how the cool liquid felt when it hit his throat. So what if Brittany was mad at him? It's not like it was a new thing.

A few minutes later Brittany emerged from the house carrying her pink gym bag, wearing shorts and a tank top over her wet swim suit. She stomped across the yard to the Miller's driveway, where she got in the silver car, backed out of the driveway, and sped down the road.

Alvin pretended not to notice the confused stares by the others. Instead, he quickly changed the topic, asking everyone what their plans were for this week. To Alvin's relief, his siblings and neighbors happily joined the conversation, and in no time they were laughing and having a great time.

A few hours went by, and Alvin had totally forgotten about Brittany. He was having a good time with the group. He hadn't hung out with his brothers since before school started, despite the fact they lived together. They had different schedules and social groups. And he hadn't really been in touch with Jeanette lately either. She wasn't as boring as he remembered her to be… she actually had a decent sense of humor in a sweet sort of way. And of course he always had a good time around Eleanor. Maybe it wasn't exactly a "cool" way to spend a Saturday night, but Alvin couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Jeanette and Eleanor reluctantly agreed it was time for them to go home. Simon, Jeanette, and Theodore made their way into the house while Alvin and Eleanor lingered in the hot tub.

"Thanks for inviting us over," Eleanor said with a grin.

"No problem," Alvin said. He leaned back in the warm water. "We should do it more often."

"Definitely," Eleanor agreed with a nod.

Alvin was about to say something else when he heard his cell phone ringing on the patio table. He had forgotten he had even brought his phone outside in the first place. Alvin got out of the tub and answered it.

"Talk to me," he said into the phone, wiping his wet face with a nearby towel.

"Hi Alvin," came a vaguely familiar, stuffy female voice. Alvin could hear loud music and yelling in the background. "This is Muffy Anderson."

Alvin furrowed his brow in confusion. Muffy was one of Brittany's snobby, wealthy "friends." Muffy was one of the few girls at school who didn't react to Alvin's charming ways. Whenever he would flirt or joke with one of her friends, Muffy and her equally stuck-up best friend Courtney Williams would roll their eyes and scoff, thinking they were way too good for his "immature social interactions."

"Uh, hey Muffy. What's up?"

"You need to pick up Brittany at Missy's," Muffy said a bored tone, as if she was talking about History homework. "She's drunk and needs to go home."

"Are you kidding?" Alvin asked. He saw Eleanor look at him curiously. "There are probably at least fifty people there! Are you telling me none of them can give her a ride home?"

"Everyone else is either not ready to come home yet or too drunk to drive," Muffy explained.

"What about you?" Alvin challenged. Why was Muffy at this party anyway? He couldn't imagine Little Miss Sophisticated playing beer pong and making out with strangers on Missy Snootson's sofa. Hell, he couldn't imagine Muffy Anderson having any fun at all. She was the kind of person who read classical literature for pleasure and took piano lessons. Alvin always assumed the only "parties" Muffy had were tea parties. "_You _don't sound drunk. You take her home."

"I don't want to leave yet," Muffy said coolly. "And trust me, Brittany needs to leave _now_."

"What did she do?" Alvin groaned.

"Just come get her," Muffy insisted. Then the line went dead.

Alvin tossed his phone on the table and sighed.

"What am I," he asked himself, "a boyfriend or a baby-sitter?"

"What's wrong?" Eleanor's voice was full of genuine concern.

"Brittany is trashed and I'm supposed to go get her," Alvin said, drying himself with his towel. He quickly put on his t-shirt and headed toward the garage. "If Dave asks where I am, just tell him I'm playing designated driver. He'll understand."

"Can I come?" Eleanor blurted. He watched her blush. "I mean, do you want some company?"

A smile slowly spread across Alvin's face. "I'd like that."

"Okay," Eleanor said, heading inside. "Just let me change real quick."

Alvin followed her inside. When Eleanor changed in the bathroom, he told Jeanette Eleanor was coming to the party with him.

"Great," Jeanette sighed. "This isn't going to look good if I come home at one in the morning with both of my sisters missing."

"Relax Jeanette," Alvin said, putting an arm around her. "Miss Miller has probably been asleeep for _hours_. She won't even notice you come in."

Jeanette forced a smile. "I guess so," she said, trying her best to sound optimistic.

Eleanor came out of the bathroom wearing black sweat pants and Thomas Edison High School soccer team t-shirt Alvin had seen her wear hundreds of times before.

"Let's go," she chirped at Alvin.

"We'll be back soon," Alvin said, even though he wasn't so sure this was going to be something they could pull off in ten minutes.

Alvin and Eleanor made their way toward the garage.

"Thanks for coming with me," Alvin said. "It'll be nice to have a friend come along."

"No problem," Eleanor said. They entered the garage and Eleanor let herself in the passenger's seat of Alvin's car. "I figured you might need some help."

Alvin chuckled as he slid into the driver's seat and opened the garage door.

"Eleanor, you have _no_ idea."


	5. Party Animals

**A/N: Hooray for a new chapter! This story is so much fun to write. And you gotta check this out: the fanfiction user Leela's Back made an awesome poster for this story. The link is in my profile; please take a look. It goes along pefectly with the plot, and its drawn wonderfully. Thanks again, Leela! :) **

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Eleanor stared out the window as the car passed the bright street lights. It was strange seeing the neighborhood so quiet. Usually people were walking their dogs, jogging, cooking on the grill, or drinking lemonade on their front porch. But at 2 am, there was nothing but darkness on the silent streets.

"So," Alvin said, interrupting Eleanor's thoughts. "Are you going to homecoming?"

"The game or the dance?" Eleanor asked.

"Both."

"I'll probably go to the game," Eleanor said, sinking into the buttery leather seats. She never missed a Friday night football game. She was one of the few girls in her high school that actually watched, understood, and enjoyed the sport. "I don't know about the dance though. I mean, nobody has asked me or anything."

"So then just go with friends," Alvin suggested. "You don't _have_ to have a date. What's that tall girl's name, the one who you always hang out with?"

"Candice?"

"Yeah," Alvin said with a nod. "Go with Candice."

Eleanor shrugged. The truth was, school dances weren't really her thing. She always ended up awkwardly standing by the punch bowl when the slow songs came on, as no one ever asked her to dance.

"Are you Brittany's escort?" Eleanor blurted. As soon as the phrase left her mouth, she knew it was a stupid question. Of_ course_ Alvin would be Brittany's escort on the Homecoming Court. What a dumb thing to ask.

"I sure am," Alvin confirmed with a grin. "I'm her prince."

Eleanor's stomach churned at that sentence. Then she imagined Alvin and Brittany walking onto the football field during halftime, arm in arm, as Brittany's name is announced as a princess. God, she was dreading that moment. Just another reminder that Alvin was Brittany's boyfriend and not hers.

"Who did you vote for Homecoming princess?" Alvin asked her.

"Jeanette," Eleanor replied automatically, feeling no shame about the fact she didn't vote for her other sister, his girlfriend Brittany. Alvin knew that Eleanor and Brittany didn't get along well, so it shouldn't be a big surprise to him.

"Oh." Alvin nodded. He stopped at a stop sign and turned right, letting a few beats of silence go by before he said, "Aren't you going to ask me who I voted for?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "I already know who you voted for."

"Who?" Alvin challenged.

"Brittany," Eleanor stated the obvious.

"Wrong," Alvin said with a smirk.

Eleanor blinked a few times, trying to process what she just heard. Alvin didn't vote for his own girlfriend to be Homecoming Princess? That didn't make any sense.

"Then who did you vote for?" Eleanor asked, looking very confused.

Alvin grinned and turned to face her when he stopped at a red light. Eleanor couldn't believe her ears when he said, "You."

The light turned green and Alvin faced the road and pressed hard on the gas pedal, making the car zoom through the streets.

_"Me?"_ Eleanor asked incredulously. Her brown eyes were as wide as saucers. "But… why _me_ of all people?"

"You're my best friend." Alvin said it as if it was obvious.

His words melted Eleanor's heart. Alvin didn't say sweet, sugary things very often, and Eleanor felt happy that he'd show that side of him to her. But one big question was tugging at her mind…

"Why didn't you vote for Brittany?" she asked. "I mean, she _is_ your girlfriend."

"Brittany didn't need my vote," Alvin said. Even in the dark, Eleanor could see Alvin roll his eyes. "I knew everyone was voting for her anyway, it's not like my vote would have mattered." Alvin glanced at Eleanor without turning his head. "Besides, I wanted to vote for you anyway. You deserve the title of a Homecoming Princess."

"I do?" Eleanor thought her heart might burst out of her chest.

"Of course," Alvin insisted. "To me, a Homecoming Princess should be someone nice and smart and funny and an overall good person."

_Everything Brittany's not, _Eleanor thought.

"So yeah," Alvin went on. "You totally deserve it Ellie."

"Thanks," was all Eleanor could say. She suddenly felt giddy from his compliments, which made her feel a bit foolish. She wasn't the type of girl to get giddy over anything, but Alvin had a way of making her feel like she couldn't stop smiling.

"Actually, you might want to keep an open invitation when it comes to the dance," Alvin told her.

"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked.

"Well…" Alvin began to talk and Eleanor held her breath.

_This is it!_ her mind screamed. _He's going to ask me out! He's going to dump Brittany and take me to the dance!_

"I think Theodore wants to ask you," Alvin said. "So don't go off and get a date just yet."

Eleanor's heart deflated with disappointment (_Thanks a lot, optimism_). It wasn't that she didn't like Theodore; he was one of her good friends. But she didn't want to go to a dance with him, not even as friends. She knew how Theodore would get… he would think they were an official couple after one date, even if it was only "as friends."

"He's liked you for a long time you know," Alvin continued. "But you know how Theodore is. He's too nervous to ask you out or anything."

Hearing this made Eleanor feel guilty. She was doing the same thing to Theodore that Alvin was doing to her: Theodore liked her and she showed no interest back. Eleanor knew how much it hurt, but she just didn't have any romantic interest in the boy. And she wasn't about to lead him on by giving him false hope.

"So will you say yes if he asks you?" Alvin asked after she didn't respond.

"Maybe," Eleanor muttered.

"Well you should," Alvin said. "It's not like you guys have to get married or anything. It's just a dance."

"I know." Eleanor stared out the window. She wished they didn't have to have this conversation. Not only did it make her feel like a jerk for ignoring Theodore, but it reminded her that Alvin had absolutely no interest in taking her to the dance. He was trying to set her up with his brother for God's sake.

Alvin turned down a road lined with big, beautiful houses. The neighborhood looked vaguely familiar, but not somewhere Eleanor went very often. The car slowed down when it came to an elegant brown house. There were well over two dozen cars parked in the circular driveway when they pulled in. The freshly mowed lawn was littered with beer cans and the few trees in the yard were draped with toilet paper.

"I guess this is Missy's house," Eleanor said when Alvin turned off the car.

"What gave it away?" Alvin asked with a small smile.

The two walked to the front door. Eleanor could hear music throbbing through the door before they even entered the house. She also heard many loud voices, and she could have sworn she heard glass break.

"You've never been to a party like this before, have you?" Alvin asked. He must have noticed Eleanor's alarmed expression.

"No," Eleanor admitted. She tended to stay away from this sort of thing. The soccer team had a strict No Partying rule, and if anyone ever got caught with alcohol or drugs they would be kicked off the team in a heartbeat. Eleanor knew she was risking a lot to show up at this party, but she figured most people would have left by now. Apparently she was wrong.

"You're in for a treat," Alvin told her. He pushed the heavy doors open and they entered the house.

Eleanor was hit with a strong scent of perfume, cigarette smoke, and booze. Nearly everyone was holding a can or bottle of some sort (except Muffy Anderson and Courtney Williams, who looked extremely out of place sipping from wine glasses). A hip hop song boomed through the expensive-looking stereo system as many people sloppily danced to the beat. The glossy wood floors were covered with empty cans, wrappers, bags, and crushed food. Eleanor saw a lacy black thong sticking out of an antique vase. The Snootsons had a beautiful home, and Eleanor couldn't help but feel upset that it was being trashed by a bunch of wasted teenagers.

There were also tons of people there. Eleanor saw many kids from her school, but there were plenty of people she didn't recognize; and it wasn't just the "cool kids" in attendance either. She spotted people from all different social circles, even a few nerds. This really _was_ the party of the year.

Alvin nudged her. "Impressed?"

"I guess you could say that," Eleanor said. She was pleased that she didn't see any of her soccer teammates. At least her teammates were smart enough to stay away from this even though she wasn't.

Eleanor felt something cold slip into her hands. A boy with floppy brown hair she didn't recognize had handed her a can of beer.

"Welcome to the party!" he exclaimed her as he took off. He was obviously drunk.

Eleanor frowned at the can. She thought she saw a bright flicker of light to her left, like a camera flash; but when she turned, she didn't see anything.

Alvin took the beer from Eleanor and placed it on a nearby table. "Let's find Brittany and get out of here," he said.

As they walked through the doorway, Alvin was greeted by several kids who acted like he was their best friend. Almost all of them offered him alcohol. Alvin kept declining, saying that he had to find Brittany. Eleanor wondered if he would have accepted their offers if he wasn't just stopping by.

"Hey Alvin!" a voice chirped.

It was Missy Snootson. Her brown curls stuck up in every direction and a goofy smile was plastered on her face.

"What's up?" Missy draped her arm around Alvin. Eleanor could smell the alcohol on her breath from three feet away. "Glad you could come, darling."

"Uh, hey Miss," Alvin said, politely shrugging her off. "Have you seen Brittany?"

"Brittany?" Missy giggled. "You mean, like Brittany Miller?"

"Yeah," Alvin said slowly, as if Missy was a three year old.

Missy tapped her finger to her chin… or at least tried to. She kept missing her face.

"Hmm…" Missy pretended to be in deep thought. "Brittany. Where is she?" Missy brightened. She leaned closer to Alvin and whispered loudly, "She's in the living room!" Missy pointed toward a brown leather couch in the crowded living room. "Found her!"

Eleanor tried not to laugh. She had never seen Missy like this before. She usually seemed so chic with her fashionable clothes, shiny ringlets, and I'm-Cool-And-You're-Not vibe. Now she just resembled a silly drunk girl on a reality TV show.

Missy skipped off with a random muscular guy and Alvin and Eleanor made their way to the large family room. Sure enough, next to a guy and a girl heavily making out, was Brittany lying upside down on the couch. Her hair was tangled, her eyes glazed. Yet Eleanor still thought she looked pretty. How her sister managed to look decent despite being wasted was a mystery to her.

"Alvin!" Brittany gasped when she saw them. She had a silly grin on her face similar to Missy's. "What're you doing here?"

"It's time to go home," Alvin said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the soft couch.

"Whoa!" Brittany stumbled and laughed. She looked at Eleanor for the first time and wrinkled her brows in confusion. "Why are _you _here?" Even drunk, Brittany still greeted her in a cold manner.

Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"You guys go 'head," Brittany slurred. She gave Alvin a push. "I'll stay here. This is the best party EVA!"

"Nice try." Alvin pulled Brittany through the crowd and Eleanor followed. In a near corner she saw a group of teens huddled together, a cloud of smoke looming around them. Eleanor had a hunch that it wasn't cigarette smoke they were inhaling.

"Wait!" Brittany yelled. She wriggled her hand from Alvin's. "I wanna say bye to Missy." Brittany looked around and called over the loud music, "MISSY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

This caused some people to laugh and cheer (for some reason). Brittany beamed at the attention she was getting.

"Let's go, Britt," Alvin said impatiently.

"Okay, okay," Brittany grumbled. She started to walk, but stumbled forward. Alvin caught her before she fell on the ground. "Oopsy Daisy!" she giggled.

Eleanor helped Alvin steady her sister and they hurried out of the house, practically dragging Brittany with them.

"God, you're so cute," Brittany told Alvin as they made their way to his car. She tangled her hands in his hair and giggled. "You are just the cutest thing in the world." She turned her heavy lidded eyes to Eleanor. "Isn't he just the cutest thing ever, Eleanor?"

Eleanor pretended that she didn't hear the question. Because of course she _did _think Alvin was cute, but she obviously couldn't admit it when he and his girlfriend were present.

After Brittany was in the backseat, Alvin quickly backed out of the driveway and headed home. Less than a minute later, Brittany was softly snoring, her body curled into a ball.

Eleanor glanced at her sister in the rearview mirror. She had caught Brittany sneaking home from late night parties being a little tipsy, but never flat out drunk. "Does she always get this bad?" she asked.

"Not always," Alvin answered. His voice sounded tired.

"You okay?" Eleanor asked, her voice full of concern.

Alvin gave her an adorable sideways smile that made her want to swoon.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'm just pissed at Brittany for how she's been acting tonight."

Eleanor couldn't help but grin. Alvin was really growing up. A year ago, _he_ would probably be the one getting trashed at a party. But seeing him act so responsible was refreshing for Eleanor; unfamiliar, but very admirable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Alvin asked. He didn't sound annoyed, just curious.

"Oh nothing," Eleanor said. "It's just… you've changed."

"Changed?" Alvin raised his eyebrows.

Eleanor nodded. "I think you're finally starting to grow up a little."

"Please don't say that," Alvin scoffed.

"Well you are!" Eleanor said with a laugh. "You drove all the way to Missy's party in the middle of the night to pick up Brittany. And you didn't have a drop of alcohol when you were there, even though it was everywhere. Our little Alvin is growing up!" Eleanor teased.

Alvin shook his head and gave a small smile. "Well I guess I have to do it sometime."

They made some small talk until Alvin pulled into the Seville's driveway. Eleanor made her way toward the backseat and gently shook Brittany.

"Brittany," Eleanor said, shaking her sister's shoulder. "We're home. Time to get up."

Brittany groaned and swatted her hand away.

"Come on Britt," Eleanor said, trying to be patient. "You can go back to sleep when we get inside."

"Leave me alone." Brittany's eyes remained shut.

Alvin let out a frustrated sigh. "Allow me," he said. Alvin grabbed Brittany's hands and yanked her out of the car. "Up and at 'em, Britt!"

Brittany frowned at her boyfriend. "Hey!" she groaned. "I was sleeping!" She paused and clutched her stomach. "I don't feel so good…" Her eyes widened as she quickly stumbled to a nearby bush and vomited.

Eleanor looked away in disgust. She hadn't been expecting that. She should have been, but she wasn't.

She looked at Alvin to see what his reaction was. He was just standing there with his arms folding against his chest, looking annoyed and bored with the whole situation. It didn't look like he felt any sympathy for Brittany at all.

But Eleanor did. She disagreed with many things Brittany did, and getting drunk was obviously at the top of the list. But Brittany was her sister, and she was sick. She needed help. And like Jeanette was always preaching, sisters should be there for one another no matter what.

Eleanor hurried over to Brittany and held her hair back as she continued to barf on the rose bush. She turned her head so she didn't have to witness the nauseating event; the sound of Brittany's heaving was already revolting enough.

When Brittany was finished, Eleanor and Alvin helped her to the Miller's front door.

"Do you need help getting her inside?" Alvin asked.

"I think I'll be fine," Eleanor answered, even though she probably did need some help. But Alvin looked exhausted enough as it was, and she figured he was just eager to go home. He had done enough Brittany-sitting for one night.

Brittany rested her head on Alvin's shoulder and gazed up at him. "You're leaving?" She stuck out her lower lip to make a pouty face. Eleanor knew she was trying to look cute, but it made her look even more intoxicated.

"Yeah," Alvin said, barely looking at her. He turned his attention to Eleanor. "Thanks again for coming with me. You were a big help."

"You're welcome," she said, even though she wasn't sure how much assistance she actually provided. Alvin seemed to have the whole thing under control.

"It's nice to know I can always count on you," Alvin said. He gave her that grin she adored and took off for his house.

Eleanor watched him walk away, his words playing over in her head: _It's nice to know I can always count on you._

She felt Brittany's head fall on her shoulder. For a second, she had forgotten she was still there.

Eleanor quietly opened the door. "Let's get you inside," she said.

Brittany muttered an unintelligible response as Eleanor guided her inside the dark house. They slowly headed up the stairs until Brittany fell sideways and bumped into the railing with a thud.

"Damn it!" Brittany yelled. She followed it up with an obnoxious laugh.

"Shhh!" Eleanor hissed. She saw a light turn on upstairs and heard footsteps approaching. Her heart pounded; if Miss Miller caught them sneaking home so late, they'd be in huge trouble.

Eleanor let a sigh of relief when she saw Jeanette appear at the top of the staircase. She looked sleepy and confused.

"What's going on?" she asked with a yawn.

Eleanor pulled Brittany up the stairs. "Brittany is drunk," Eleanor said.

Jeanette blinked in surprise. "Oh," was all she could say.

"You help her get into bed and I'll get her some water," Eleanor said softly, trying not to wake up Miss Miller.

Jeanette nodded at Eleanor's instructions.

"You must have had a rough night," Jeanette said as she helped an ill-looking Brittany to their room.

"You have no idea," Eleanor muttered as she quietly made her way downstairs to the kitchen, even though she wasn't sure if Jeanette was talking to her or Brittany.

After all the heartless, selfish things Brittany had done recently, Eleanor wasn't exactly thrilled to be so caring toward her. She couldn't help but think she was helping the enemy.

_But I guess it's different when the enemy is your sister_, Eleanor thought as she filled a tall cup with ice water. _Because sisters stick together no matter what._

Sometimes she really hated having a conscience.

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**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Dilemma

A/N: Eh, this chapter isn't too exciting, and it's pretty short. But it gives you an opportunity to really get inside Eleanor's head and sort of explore the complications she faces by liking Alvin. So I like it :) Plus some parts in this chapter are very important to the plot and will show up later in the story. So pay attention! Hope you guys enjoy it, please send a review.

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"Now if you'll open your textbooks to page fifty-four, we'll get started."

Eleanor yawned and flipped through the pages in her Literature book. She was still tired from the weekend and didn't feel like paying attention. Luckily, reading was her best subject, so she could afford to space out during this class.

As usual, she kept thinking about Alvin. As far as Eleanor knew, Alvin and Brittany hadn't even spoken to each other since the night of the party. Brittany was still mad that he didn't take her to Missy's house and Alvin was still angry that he had to pick her up in the middle of the night because she was drunk.

Eleanor noticed Brittany wasn't in class. She figured she was taking her time strutting through the halls like a runway model, waving to adoring fans.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Miller," Mr. Fredrick, the teacher, said in an irritated voice.

Eleanor looked up from her book and saw Brittany standing in the doorway. Judging by her messy hair, wrinkled blouse, and smeared lip gloss, it didn't take a genius to figure out what Brittany had been doing between classes.

_I guess they aren't fighting anymore,_ Eleanor thought as she picked up her pencil to pretend to take notes.

"Sorry Mr. Fredrick." Brittany smiled sweetly at the middle-aged man. "It won't happen again."

Mr. Fredrick scoffed as Brittany strolled to the back of the classroom where all the other popular girls were huddled. They laughed knowingly as she took a seat.

"Oh my God, Britt!" Missy snickered. "You are so _bad_."

"I know," Eleanor heard her sister reply.

Eleanor gripped her pencil tighter. It irritated her that Brittany was showing off her little make-out session to her brainless friends. Why'd they think she was so cool anyway? Would they think Brittany was so great if they saw her with her head in the toilet puking her guts out after she stumbled home Sunday morning? How "bad" would they think she was when she didn't get out of bed until three in the afternoon because her King Kong-sized hangover?

The giggling continued, just another annoying reminder that Alvin and Brittany were together again, carefree and kissing as if Brittany had never thrown a temper tantrum Saturday night and got drunk at a party forcing Alvin to pick her up. How could Alvin seem so over Brittany one day and then swap spit with her the next? It just didn't make any sense.

Mr. Fredrick continued with the lesson, but Eleanor wasn't hearing a word. All she could think about was Alvin and Brittany in a dark janitor's closet, hands all over each other, lips smacking together furiously… it made Eleanor's head hurt.

She wanted to stop thinking about it. She thought about how much easier life would be if she didn't like Alvin.

Eleanor flipped to an empty page in her notebook and scribbled _Reasons Why I Shouldn't Like Alvin_ in the header. Her pencil danced across the page as she brainstormed.

_Reason #1: He's going out with my sister._

_Reason #2: It's distracting. I think about him all the time; during school, soccer practice, dinner time… I can't stop thinking about the guy for ten seconds. He's like a song that I can't get out of my head. He even shows up in my dreams. I can't get rid of him even when I'm sleeping!_

_Reason #3: He's a jerk. Let's face it; Alvin is arrogant, self-centered, and cocky. And okay, maybe I just named off a bunch of synonyms, but the thing is, he's way too into himself. I shouldn't be interested in a guy who spends more time on his hair than I do._

_Reason #4: Theodore likes me. Think about how hurt he'd be if he found out I liked his brother instead. He'd hate me._

_Reason #5: Alvin is too confusing. One minute he's super sweet to me, then he'll flirt with me like crazy, and then he'll totally ignore me for Brittany. I'm starting to think he just does it for his own amusement. He does it to a lot of girls, not just me; he's not known as the biggest flirt in school for nothing. _

_Reason #6: It's out of character for me to be so obsessed over a boy. I used to mock girls who were boy-crazy. It's embarassing that I stutter around him, and how my face turns red. It takes me five minutes just to get myself together when I'm with him! And it drives me crazy!_

_Reason #7: It's never going to happen. Alvin only goes for the pretty, popular girls… like Brittany. He wouldn't like Plain Jane me in a million years. He wants a girl in a skimpy dress, not a dirty soccer uniform. I'll never be what he wants. I'll never be good enough for him._

Eleanor's pencil hovered above the paper as she tried to think of an eighth reason. She glanced at the rest of the list. Seven reasons why she shouldn't like Alvin Seville were glaring at her. Seven reasons why she was wasting her time wanting someone who clearly (well, maybe not so clearly as Reason #5 stated) did not like her back.

But Eleanor knew every word on she had written was ridiculous. She knew this crush was complicated, but she couldn't just stop liking Alvin… no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise.

Feeling her ever-present optimism kick in, she quietly tore her list from the spiral binds and started a new one: _Reasons why it's Okay to Like Alvin._

_Reason #1: Alvin can be a little too confident sometimes, but he's gotten a lot less obnoxious about it. He's fun, charming, caring, athletic, cute, and has a good sense of humor. There are plenty of good qualities he has. The good outweigh the bad, for sure. And yes, he does focus on his looks a lot, but I would too if I was that hot. _

_Reason #2: I shouldn't care about what Theodore thinks, or anyone else for that matter. I like Theo, but I can't help if he has a crush on me. I shouldn't let that rule how I feel about other people. _

_Reason #3: He likes sports as much as I do. Nobody else stays up with me until four in the morning shooting baskets in the driveway or placing bets on NFL games. And he helps me out with soccer, which I really appreciate. _

_Reason #4: I've known the guy since we were little kids. I know his family, and they get along well with my family. I feel comfortable around them, and I know Alvin comes from a good household. I always feel welcome when I go to the Seville house because Alvin and his brothers and Dave are great hosts. _

_Reason #5: Even though liking him drives me crazy, it's kind of nice to care about someone so much. It feels like I have something to look forward to every day, something to be excited about. I guess in a weird way, it's kind of fun. A part of me likes that happy feeling I get when I pass him in the hall or when he sends me a text message. It's hard to imagine not liking him… it would be like a part of me would be empty. _

_Reason #6: Alvin needs me. I know that sounds totally selfish, but he does. He might not know that we'd be a good match, but I do. He's wasting his time with Brittany. I don't know when it's going to happen, but she's going to break his heart one of these days, and I can't let that happen to him. He needs to get out of that relationship before it completely explodes. _

_Reason #7: He might like me back._

Eleanor paused. Had she really just written that?

But it was the truth. Sometimes she did think that Alvin maybe, just _maybe_, had feelings for her. After all, there was no denying that he flirted with her like crazy.

_Impossible,_ she thought, shaking her head. This was Alvin Seville she was talking about… flirting was his favorite past time. Alvin treated every girl in school the same way he treated her. She was nothing special; just another girl to sweet talk.

Eleanor tucked the Pro-Alvin list under the Anti-Alvin list. The sentences _It's never going to happen _and _I'll never be good enough for him_ immediately stood out.

She sighed and stuffed the sheets of paper in her binder. Making lists was a stupid idea anyway.

The bell rang a few minutes later, signaling the end of class. Eleanor gathered her books and hurried out of the room, trying to leave before Brittany. She didn't want to see her sister with her obnoxious posse, giggling and gossiping about Brittany's slutty encounter with Alvin.

Eleanor walked through the crowded hall until she found her locker. She was spinning through the numbers on her combination lock when a cheerful voice said, "Hi Ellie."

Eleanor jumped back, surprised. She turned and saw Theodore's chubby face grinning at her.

"Sorry," Theodore said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Eleanor said. "It isn't your fault. I'm just a little… jumpy today. Anyway, what's up?"

"Well," Theodore said, looking at his shoes. "I, uh, wanted to ask you something."

Eleanor's stomach turned over when Theodore's eyes met hers. She knew he was going to ask her to the Homecoming dance. She glanced over Theodore's shoulder and saw Alvin standing a few feet away. He was watching them intently, an expectant look on his face. Eleanor had a feeling that he had been coaching Theodore on this moment all weekend.

"Will you go to the Homecoming dance with me?" Theodore asked, his green eyes wide with hope.

Eleanor blinked a few times, her mind scrambling for an answer. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go to the dance at all, let alone with a date. Especially if the date was Theodore, who she clearly thought of as a good pal and nothing else. But he would be so sad if she refused; Eleanor wouldn't be surprised if he burst out into tears right in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings; he didn't deserve that.

But when Eleanor looked at Alvin again, she felt a rush of anger inside her. Saying yes to Theodore would be doing Alvin a favor; and she was so bothered by the fact that, despite how upset with Brittany he claimed to be, he could just hook up with her and forget all about it. Eleanor didn't want to give Alvin any satisfaction in her answer.

So she took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry Theodore. I can't."

Her heart broke as she watched Theodore's face fall. She knew she was being cruel; but if she said yes, she'd be unfair to herself. And for once, she wanted to take herself in consideration.

"Oh," was all he could say. He looked back at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Eleanor said in the sweetest voice she could muster. "I just… have other plans for that night and I…"

"Its fine," Theodore interrupted. He looked back up at her, his eyes full of disappointment and hurt. "I understand." He walked past her, his whole body seeming to slump.

Eleanor looked up at Alvin, who went from looking confused to angry. As he walked over toward her, she desperately tried to think up some kind of excuse as to why she turned down his brother.

"What the hell was that?" Alvin demanded.

"What was what?" Eleanor asked casually, turning her attention back to her locker.

"Drop the innocent act, Ellie," Alvin said. "Why did you say no to Theodore?"

Eleanor opened her locker and instantly felt annoyed.

"Does it matter?" Eleanor asked him. "There's no law saying I have to go out with him."

Alvin narrowed his eyes. "No," he said, "there's not. But I told you that he was probably going to ask you, and it's not like you have plans that night anyway. Why couldn't you have just given the guy a break?"

"You mean like how you gave Brittany a break?" Eleanor asked angrily, grabbing her books from the top shelf. She still couldn't get over that Brittany had seduced him to gain forgiveness. And worst of all, he had given in.

"What are you talking about?" Alvin sounded confused. He shook his head, trying to ignore the comment. "Look, the bottom line is that you broke Theodore's heart. Why can't you sacrifice one freaking night for him?"

Eleanor wondered if Alvin had any idea that he broke her heart almost every day.

"I just don't understand why you can't go to a dance with him," Alvin went on. "It's only for two hours of your life. This means a lot to him, the least you could do is just say yes."

Eleanor slammed her locker shut and looked right at Alvin. He really knew how to test her patience. Yet another thing to add on her Anti-Alvin list. "Did it ever occur to you," she asked, "that I don't want to go out with Theodore because I like someone else?"

Alvin's lips formed into a small smile. "Really?" he sounded amused. "Who?"

Eleanor felt her face flush. She had said way too much.

"No one," she muttered. "But the thing is, I don't want to go to the dance with Theodore. I feel bad enough about the whole thing already, so please, just leave me alone about it."

Alvin nodded. "Look, I'm sorry for being a jerk," he said, even though Eleanor knew it killed him to apologize. Alvin hated admitting he was wrong. "I just don't like seeing Theodore get hurt, you know? I was so focused on his feelings, I didn't think of yours."

_What else is new?_ Eleanor thought.

"Its fine," Eleanor said, even though it wasn't. She didn't appreciate him snapping at her no more than she appreciated him frenching her sister in between classes.

"Cool," Alvin said, and of course he gave her that amazing smile. Eleanor forced herself to look away. She was determined to stay angry with him. But he was making it so damn difficult.

"I have to get to class," Eleanor said, turning to go. She took a few steps, hugging her books to her chest.

"Eleanor!" Alvin called.

She stopped walking and turned her head to the side to let him know she was listening.

"I hope whoever you like asks you to the dance," he said, his voice full of sincerity.

"He won't," Eleanor replied. "But thanks." And with that, she faced forward and walked to class without looking back.

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Tell me what you think in a review!


	7. Secrets

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! I haven't really been in the mood to write lately, so that's why this story hasn't been updated in such a long time. But hey, it's summertime, can you blame me? But seriously, I'll try to update more often. As I was writing this chapter, it reminded me how much I enjoy it. So here it is... the latest chapter of _You Belong with Me_. Oh yeah, and please send me a review!

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Tuesday after school Eleanor sat on the couch trying to do her math homework. She had been working on it for at least twenty minutes and was only on problem two. Instead of her paper being filled with algebraic equations, it was covered in doodles and Alvin's name written in swirly script.

"I've got it bad," Eleanor said to herself, observing the embarrassing evidence that she was so into someone who didn't like her back.

Or did he?

Eleanor sighed and leaned back on the sofa. She wasn't in the mood to get into that internal debate again.

She crumbled the paper into a ball and tossed it behind the couch. There was no way she could focus on math right now.

Eleanor took two stairs at a time to the bathroom, shut the door, and turned on the water in the tub as hot as it would go. A long, steaming hot shower was exactly what she needed.

About ten minutes later, Eleanor stepped out of the shower just to realize she had left all of her clothes in her bedroom.

"Crap," she muttered. Eleanor grabbed a fluffy yellow towel and wrapped it around her body.

Steam poured out of the room when she opened the bathroom door. The blond made her way to her bedroom but gasped when she saw who was standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Alvin!" she yelped. Her face turned crimson as she tightened her grip on the towel, silently praying to God that it wouldn't fall off, exposing her nude body.

"Hey," Alvin said simply. He looked Eleanor up and down, an amused grin on his face.

"W-what are you doing here?" Eleanor asked him. She tried to sound firm, but she was too humiliated.

"I'm looking for Brittany." Alvin made no effort to hide his wandering gaze.

"She's not home," Eleanor said quickly. _Don't fall off, don't fall off, don't fall off,_ she willed the towel.

"Okay," Alvin said with a nod. "I guess I'll just wait downstairs."

Eleanor's heart quickened when she saw Alvin look at her bare legs. Feeling self conscious, she hurried into her room and called, "I'll be there in a minute."

"You know," Alvin said as she made her way to her room, "that's a good look for you."

Eleanor froze. Wrapping her arms around her, she turned and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alvin shrugged. "I guess it means that you're not just the cute little sister anymore." Then he went downstairs.

Eleanor shook her head, trying to process what was just said to her. What the hell was he talking about?

She quickly slipped into some comfortable clothes and ran a comb through her damp hair before hurried downstairs. Alvin was sitting on the sofa, staring at Eleanor's open math book.

"Have you even started on it yet?" Alvin asked her when she got to the bottom of the stairs. He said it as if nothing had happened... as if he hadn't just seen her wearing nothing but a tiny towel. As if he hadn't just shamlessly flirted with her.

"Not really." Eleanor was relieved that she had gotten rid of her original homework/Alvin doodle shrine. She took a seat next to him on the couch.

"So when is Britt supposed to get home?" Alvin asked her. "We still need to talk about what happened at the party."

"It seems to me that you two have already kissed and made up," Eleanor scoffed.

Alvin furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about? I haven't talked to Brittany since we brought her home."

Eleanor blinked at this surprising confession. Her mind raced; either A) Alvin was an amazing liar, B) Brittany hadn't been hooking up with anyone before third period, or C) Brittany was making out with someone else. Eleanor had a bad feeling that the correct answer was C.

"Never mind," Eleanor said, hoping Alvin would forget she said anything.

Alvin looked at her for a moment, but Eleanor spoke before he could say anything.

"I just don't see why you keep coming back to her," she blurted, hoping he wouldn't ask her to elaborate about what she had just mentioned.

"Well we've been dating for a long time," Alvin explained. "We always manage to work things out."

"But you fight _all _the time!" Eleanor pointed out. "You two must be having amazing sex, because I don't know why else you put up with her."

Eleanor's face burned with embarrassment when she realized what she had just said. She had no idea why she brought Alvin and Brittany's sex life into this… it was none of her business. However, that was her only explanation as to why they were still together.

Eleanor braced herself for Alvin's reaction, but he only laughed and shook his head.

"What's so funny?" Eleanor asked, wishing she could take her words back.

"Brittany and I…" Alvin said with a smile. "We haven't actually…" his voice trailed off, but he didn't need to finish his sentence. Eleanor instantly knew what he meant.

Her jaw dropped. All this time Brittany had led everyone to think that she and Alvin went at it like rabbits. And Eleanor, along with the rest of the student body, had believed it. After all, Alvin and Brittany had been together for years, and they were both extremely flirtatious and charismatic. It was just so hard to believe they weren't sexually active. Well, at least not with each other.

"But all the rumors…" Eleanor said, still in shock.

"Are just rumors," Alvin admitted. His expression was hard to read. He didn't look embarrassed, but it was obvious that no one else knew about this.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Eleanor asked. "I mean, everyone thinks you two are very, um, active." She felt another blush coming on and wondered why they were still talking about this embarrassing subject.

Alvin shrugged and said, "Eleanor, I'm a guy. Guys don't care about that kind of stuff. If people think I've had sex with Brittany, then whatever. I'm not going to deny it."

This answer disappointed Eleanor; yet, in a way, she appreciated his honesty. And it made sense… Alvin had matured a lot over the years, but he obviously still cared about what others thought of him. He wouldn't want to be known as the guy who had been dating the hottest girl in school for years and had yet to have sex with her.

Eleanor shook her head, still in awe. "I just can't believe it."

"We've came close. _Really_ close." Alvin grinned as if he was remembering how close they had actually gotten. Eleanor held back an eye roll. "But when we almost do it, I just… can't. I mean, I _could_… if I wanted to," Alvin quickly added, making sure Eleanor didn't get the wrong idea. "I just don't really want to. Well, I _think_ I want to, but when the time comes, I just can't. I make up some lame excuse, like that I'm tired or that I'm going to miss something on TV." Alvin sighed and leaned back on the couch. "You probably don't want to be hearing this, do you?"

"I don't mind," Eleanor said. Actually, she found it comforting that Alvin and Brittany hadn't had sex. For some reason it made them seem less official… like, they weren't as close as everyone thought.

Alvin turned toward his friend. "She's my girlfriend," he said. "I don't know why I can't make love to her.

Eleanor knew why. She found it almost laughable that Alvin couldn't figure it out. She wanted to tell him why he couldn't have sex with Brittany, but she wasn't sure if she should say anything. Bringing the situation up was nosy enough and Eleanor wasn't sure she wanted to give any more of her opinions regarding Alvin and Brittany's relationship.

"Do you really want to know what I think?" Eleanor asked. She stared at her lap.

"Yeah," Alvin said softly. "I do."

_You can do it,_ Eleanor told herself. _Just tell him the truth._

Eleanor took a deep breath and blurted, "I don't think you can bring yourself to have sex with Brittany because you don't love her."

Alvin blinked in surprise. Eleanor forced herself to look him in the eye.

There. She had said it. She didn't think Alvin loved his girlfriend… and she had told him right to his face.

"Maybe you're right," Alvin said quietly.

Eleanor's brown eyes widened. "You think so?"

Alvin shrugged. He had a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was looking at something far away. After a few moments of silence, Alvin stood up.

"I should get going," he said, his voice sounding distant.

Eleanor wondered if she had said the wrong thing. Based on her luck, she probably did.

"I thought you wanted to talk to Brittany," Eleanor pointed out. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to explain what exactly he meant by "maybe you're right."

"I have to go home," Alvin said, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "There's something I have to do." Alvin headed for the front door, but paused and turned to Eleanor as he grasped the handle. "Thanks for the talk, El," he said with a smile. Then he was gone.

Eleanor sat on the couch, unable to move.

_Okaaay. What was that?_

Suddenly another thought entered Eleanor's mind. It was something she didn't want to deal with, but at the same time, she needed to find out the truth.

Eleanor pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Mara.

"Hi Eleanor!" Mara cheerfully answered after the first ring.

"Hi." Eleanor's voice was unable to match her friend's perky tone. But she wasn't calling for a friendly chat. This was business. "Look, I have a question."

"If it's about the math homework, forget it," Mara said quickly. "I am totally lost."

"It's not about homework," Eleanor said, twirling a lock of blonde hair. "It's about… well, I need some inside information."

Mara squealed with joy. Despite her sweet, innocent personality, Mara was a huge follower of school gossip. She_ lived_for the latest AEHS scandal. Mara was always first to know who was dating who, where the craziest parties were, and even which student got the lowest test score in class. Although not exactly popular herself, Mara always knew what was going on.

"I thought you didn't care about that kind of stuff!" Mara exclaimed. She sounded as if she had chugged a gallon of coffee with about five cups of sugar.

"I'm usually not," Eleanor reminded her. She often rolled her eyes and scoffed at Mara's lunch time gossip sessions. "But there's something I need to know." Eleanor took a deep breath. Did she _really _need to know? Yes, she did. She didn't want to, but it was something she needed. "Did you hear anything about Brittany making out with someone today? Like, around third period?"

The other end of the line was deathly silent.

"Mara?" Eleanor asked. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. The call hadn't been disconnected. "Mara? Hello? Are you still there?"

"I'm here," Mara said, her voice sounding very small.

"So?" Eleanor prompted. "Did you hear anything?"

"Well… maybe. Sort of." Mara's mood had shifted from joyous to reluctant in less than five seconds.

"Tell me, Mara," Eleanor said calmly. "She's my sister. I deserve to know."

"Okay," Mara sighed. "I heard something about it. Apparently between classes, someone saw Brittany getting hot and heavy with Bradley Owens in the empty computer lab. But it's probably not even true," Mara quickly added. "I mean, Lauren told me, but she heard it from Kelsey, who heard it from Natalie, who heard it from Allison, who heard it from Courtney Williams. That's, like, a five-person-passed rumor. They're usually not that accurate after person number three."

"Oh I think it's pretty accurate," Eleanor mumbled, leaning on the couch cushions. So it was official. Brittany was making out with a guy before class. A guy who wasn't Alvin.

Of course, it wasn't a huge shock. Eleanor had pictured it being in some smelly old broom closet, but it made sense that Brittany would opt for a spacious empty classroom instead, despite the fact that it practically doubled their chances of being caught. Brittany would risk getting busted rather than partake in the privacy of a dirty, cramped closet any day.

"Sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Mara said. "I just didn't want you to be disappointed in Brittany, you know? I mean, she is your sister, and I'm sure it would hard to know that she'd cheat on Alvin like that."

Eleanor's heart sank at the words "cheat on Alvin." Alvin Seville, the coolest, most athletic, most charismatic guy at school had been cheated on. Then there was Brittany, who was envied by half the girls at school for dating him, and what does she do? She finds someone else to kiss. Eleanor felt so angry that she wanted to rip out Brittany's shiny hair strand by strand.

"Thanks for the info, Mara," Eleanor said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"No problem," Mara chirped. It was obvious she was glad she had just given someone a scoop. "So, hey, do you want to try to figure out this math together? I'm so confused."

"We're getting ready to eat dinner," Eleanor lied. There was no way she could focus on school work after learning all this information. "I'll probably ask Jeanette for some help, and maybe we can go over it during study hall tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay." Mara's disappointment was obvious.

They exchanged quick good-byes and Eleanor hung up. Eleanor stared at her math book. She wondered if she should tell Alvin about the whole Bradley Owens thing. He didn't seem to know about it. But according Mara's number of sources, it was only a matter of time before he found out.

Eleanor picked up her binder and casually flipped through the pages, wanting to look at her Alvin lists again. But they weren't there.

Not that Eleanor was worried. They were probably in other binder, which was safely tucked away between her text books in her locker at school.

Yup, that's where they were. Locked away in a place that only Eleanor had the combination to access.

At least that's what Eleanor's optimism convinced her to think.

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Thanks so much for reading. Please review!


	8. The List

A/N: Well that's what I get for waiting so long to post these chapters... a lack of reviews! :( Oh well, whatever. I'm just glad that you guys are still reading. Thanks! So here we go... chapter 8.

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As Alvin speed-walked across the yard to his house, it felt as if the piece of paper was burning a hole in his pocket. The curiosity was absolutely killing him. But he had to read it alone. And based after his conversation he just had with Eleanor, he had to read it _now._

He flung open the front door and hurried up the stairs. Dave said something to him from the kitchen, but Alvin wasn't listening. He was on a mission.

Alvin got to his room and shut the door. He almost ripped the sheet of notebook paper as he yanked it out of his pocket. He stared at the header: _Reasons Why I Shouldn't Like Alvin._

_What. The. Hell._

Alvin sighed and tossed the paper on his messy desk. This wasn't right. It was none of his business. While waiting for Eleanor downstairs, he had seen the corner of the paper sticking out of her binder. He saw the words "Like Alvin" and he immediately picked it up. Then he heard Eleanor and shoved the paper in the front pocket of his jeans without giving it a second thought; because, at the time, he figured he had a right to read it. After all, it did have his name on it.

But now he wasn't so sure. Because lately this annoying little thing called a "conscious" started following him around and he realized that maybe he shouldn't be looking at Eleanor's personal belongings.

Alvin glanced at the paper again. _Reasons I Shouldn't Like Alvin._ It sounded so intriguing…

Screw it.

Alvin picked up the sheet of paper and started to read. When he was finished, he read it again. And again.

Finally, he collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes. What the hell did this mean? Eleanor liked him? As in, more than a friend? But why would she make a list of all the reasons why she shouldn't like him?

And why did the possibility of Eleanor liking him make his heart race and his stomach flip flop?

Alvin's eyes shot open. He needed professional advice on what to make of this. Notebook paper in hand, Alvin hurried across the hall to Simon's room.

The door was closed, but Alvin entered without knocking. Simon was sitting at his desk, typing away at his laptop. He was visibly annoyed at Alvin's unexpected appearance.

"Hey Si," Alvin quickly greeted. "Are you busy?"

"Yes," was Simon's clipped response.

Alvin ignored his brother and pulled up a spare chair next to him.

"I found this at the Millers house," he explained, holding up the lined sheet of paper.

Simon looked at his brother blankly. "And?"

"And I was wondering if you could take a look at it," Alvin said. "I mean, I don't know how I should deal with it."

Simon sighed and took the paper. He glanced over it and said, "Well this isn't Jeanette's handwriting. And every word is spelled correctly, so it isn't Brittany or Miss Miller's."

"I guess I forgot to mention that I found it in Eleanor's binder," Alvin said, leaning forward to look at the list.

"You went through her binder?" Simon raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Alvin protested. "Well, not really. I just saw that it had my name on it, so I grabbed it. But then she came downstairs and I panicked. So I stuffed it in my pocket, and then we got to talking, and she said some stuff that made me…" Alvin trailed off, wondering if he should say anymore.

"Made you what?" Simon asked as he looked over the list.

"I don't know," Alvin sighed. "I just wanted to know what she wrote about me. So I came home and read it, and now I don't know what to do."

"Why do you have to _do_ anything?" Simon wondered aloud. His eyes were focused on the bottom of the page.

"Well now that I know she likes me… or _did_ like me at one point," Alvin said, "it's going to be weird being around her. I mean, obviously she doesn't want me to know how she feels. Or felt. I don't know when this was written."

"Recently," Simon confirmed as he handed Alvin the paper.

"How can you tell?" Alvin asked.

"She mentions that Theodore likes her," Simon explained. "She didn't know Theodore liked her until you told her, correct?"

"That's right," Alvin said with a nod. Simon had obviously heard when Alvin told Theodore he had mentioned Theodore's crush to Eleanor. "So what do I do about this?" Alvin held up the list as if it was The Declaration of Independence.

Simon sighed. "I'm not a love guru, Alvin. I honestly don't even know why you came to me with this."

Alvin suddenly wondered the same thing. Why _had_ he come to Simon in the first place?

"I guess I just thought you'd come up with a logical way to handle this, given that you're so… well, logical or whatever," he said.

Simon smiled and shook his head. "I appreciate the compliment, Alvin, but logic won't help you much in this case. You've got to go with your heart on this one."

Alvin wasn't sure how to respond. He looked at the list again.

"Alvin," Simon said gently, "do you love Brittany?"

His question caught Alvin off-guard. It was the second time his "love" for Brittany had been questioned that day.

"If you were truly in love with Brittany," Simon went on, "this list wouldn't be an issue."

Alvin knew his brother was making a lot of sense. If he was in love with Brittany, he wouldn't care so much about finding out Eleanor liked him. He would just dismiss it, and know that Brittany was the only girl in his life. But in reality, he wasn't doing that at all. The idea of Eleanor liking him excited him and made him feel happy. He wanted to know more about how she felt. He wanted to know why she was trying to resist him.

But he shouldn't feel that way. He was dating Brittany.

Or was he? Their relationship had been crumbling lately, and they hadn't spoken for days. Were they broken up? Were they just taking a break? Did he _want_ to break up?

Earlier, Alvin wanted to know about their relationship status, and that was why he went to the Millers' house in the first place. But now all he wanted to do was figure out what Eleanor's list was all about.

"Should I tell Ellie that I know how she feels about me?" Alvin asked after the moment of silence.

"Like I said before," Simon said, turning his attention back to his computer, "you have to follow your heart on this one, Alvin. I know its cliché, but I don't know what else to tell you. If you want Eleanor to know that you are aware of her feelings, then perhaps you should confront her about her list. However, if Brittany means so much to you, maybe it's best you pretend that you are unaware of how Eleanor truly feels about you."

Alvin nodded, taking this all in. Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do.

"Thanks for the advice," Alvin said, giving Simon a friendly slap on the back that almost knocked off his glasses.

"You're welcome," Simon muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Although I'm not sure how much advice I actually gave you."

"Oh trust me," Alvin said, "you made me realize some very important things."

Simon gave him a quizzical look, but Alvin left the room before he could ask anything. Alvin went back into his bedroom, Eleanor's notebook paper in his hand. He grabbed his cell phone from his dresser and speed dialed Brittany.

Alvin put the phone up to his ear, feeling confident about what he was about to do. But the second the phone rang, he froze. Staring straight back at him, tacked onto his bulletin board, was a wallet-sized school picture of Brittany from the year before. She was smiling at him sweetly. Her shiny hair fell in elegant waves past her shoulders, her blue eyes bright and mischievous. Lips glossy and full. Teeth straight and white. Crisp, pink blouse. Alvin had always loved that photo. Brittany looked so breathtakingly beautiful.

_What am I doing?_ He thought.

The phone rang again, but Alvin quickly pressed the end button. He had intended to break up with Brittany… but he realized that he couldn't do it. Brittany meant so much to him. He had been attracted to her for _years_, ever since he was a little kid. And yes, Brittany had been a bitch lately. But he had seen a side of Brittany no one had ever seen before… underneath all that make-up and hair products was a sweet girl. A sweet, insecure girl who got caught up in the high school popularity contest so many teenage girls fall into.

Or at least that's what Alvin tried to tell himself.

But he _did_ care about Brittany. He really did.

_But do I love her?_ He thought.

No. He didn't love her. Well, he loved her, but he wasn't _in love_ with her.

_If anything, I'm in love with Eleanor,_ he thought.

Alvin's eyes widened.

"Did I really just think that?" he asked himself. Alvin took off his hat and ran his hand through his thick hair. All this girl trouble was making his head hurt.

But it didn't look like the headache would slow up anytime soon. Alvin's phone began to ring, and his stomach turned over when the caller ID flashed Brittany's name. Alvin picked up the phone, his thumb hovering over the answer button. His ringtone continued as Alvin debated whether to answer it. Finally, he sighed and tossed the phone on his bed as the ringing came to a stop.

The phone beeped thirty seconds later. 1 NEW VOICE MAIL, the screen read.

Alvin swallowed hard as flipped open his cell and opened the message.

"Hey Alvey, it's me!" Brittany's high pitched voice chirped. "I saw that you just called. But when I picked up the phone, you weren't there. We must have gotten disconnected or something, I don't know. Anyway, call me back ASAP. We need to talk about Homecoming stuff. Like, I'm wearing a lavender dress, so you should wear a purple tie or something. We need to match for when you're my escort Friday night. Oh, and rehearsals for Homecoming are after school on Thursday. I they're going to tell us how to walk down the field or something. Whatever. Anyway, call me back. I haven't talked to you, like, all week. Kisses!"

Alvin groaned as he hung up the phone. Apparently Brittany thought they were still together, despite the fact they hadn't spoken in days. She sounded as if nothing was wrong, which was bizarre. And he had forgotten all about stupid Homecoming. And now he had to find something purple to wear, which was going to suck.

Alvin sat on his bed and buried his head in his hands. Teenage boys shouldn't have to deal with this drama. Guys his age should be hanging out with their friends, watching ESPN, and sneaking beer from the fridge (not that Dave kept any, but still…). Alvin wondered if any of his friends stressed this much over girls.

A few minutes ago, Alvin knew exactly what to do about the Eleanor/Brittany situation. Now he had no idea. Not that this was surprising. Alvin was never really one to "go by the plan."

"I guess I'll just have to do what I do best," Alvin said to himself, "and make it up as I go."

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Review! Please! Tell me what you think :)


	9. Everything Changes

A/N: Okay, so this is my favorite chapter so far. It was fun to write, and I think it turned out pretty well. I hope you guys enjoy it!

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Wednesday evening in her bedroom, Eleanor found herself in the familiar math homework battle. Between thinking about tomorrow's soccer game and Alvin's weird departure the night before, there was no room for math equations in Eleanor's mind. Plus her Alvin list was still missing, which freaked her out. If someone got a hold of that paper, she would be so…

"Hey."

Eleanor flinched as her deep thoughts were interrupted. Then it sank in who was there.

"Do you _ever_ knock?" Eleanor asked Alvin without turning around or getting up from her bed.

"What's the fun in knocking?" she could practically hear him smirking. "Don't you like surprises?"

"No," Eleanor said, staring at problem number six. Why was he in her room anyway? "I don't. And Brittany isn't home."

"I'm not here to see Brittany," Alvin said.

Eleanor turned around and saw Alvin leaning against the doorway. He looked irresistible in his faded jeans and wrinkled t-shirt. His hair was damp and Eleanor could smell soap. He must have just taken a shower after his soccer practice.

"Then what are you doing here?" Eleanor asked, her throat a little dry. It was all she could do not to drool over his appearence. She swore he got better looking every time she saw him.

"I'm here to see you." Alvin made his way toward her.

"Why?" Eleanor asked, trying desperately to keep her cool. Alvin looked very serious… and Alvin was never serious. She tried to lighten the mood. "Soccer tips?"

"As if I need any soccer tips from _you_," Alvin said with a laugh. He sat next to her on the bed and Eleanor relaxed. At least he was joking around a little.

"You're a jerk," Eleanor said, nudging him. She was glad to be in their old routine… making jokes, mild flirtation. It drove her crazy that it was all they'd ever have, but it was comforting. For a minute Eleanor thought Alvin was upset about something.

"I'm a jerk, huh?" He was no longer smiling. "I guess that falls under Reason number three."

The world stopped turning.

All the air exited Eleanor's lungs. Her face burned. She couldn't move… couldn't blink… couldn't breathe.

He knew.

Eleanor stared straight ahead, hoping that maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe she would wake up.

No. This was real. And he knew.

_Alvin knows._

Eleanor's mind scrambled for a solution, trying to figure out what to do. Deny it? Admit it?

_Think, Eleanor, think!_

As a last ditch effort, she decided to do something out of character and play dumb.

"What are you talking about?" It came out as a timid whisper.

"You know what I'm talking about, Ellie," Alvin said gently. He reached into his back pocket and unfolded a piece of notebook paper. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she read the header.

There it was; the list of reasons why she shouldn't like Alvin. And Alvin was holding it.

_He knew._

But he shouldn't know. Eleanor mustered up every ounce of adrenaline she could and looked Alvin in the eye.

"Where did you get that?" She tried to accuse him of sneaking around, but her voice was shaking. She hated that she sounded so weak.

Alvin shifted his eyes. "It was in your binder."

Eleanor's body tensed even more, if it was possible. "You went through my stuff?"

"No," Alvin said. "Well, sort of. I saw my name and I was curious."

"You weren't supposed to see this." Eleanor felt a huge lump form in her throat. Tears pricked her eyes. "_No one_ was supposed to see this."

"I'm sorry, El," Alvin said. "I just…"

"Get out," Eleanor said. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"Eleanor, I…"

"Just go." Eleanor had never felt so humiliated, sad, and angry in her entire life. She didn't know it was possible to feel so horrible.

Alvin hesitated, but he stood up and sighed. "Fine, I'll go. But I want you to look at your list again."

"Alvin, please…"

"I know," Alvin said, handing her the paper. "I'll go. Just look at it real quick."

Eleanor's vision was blurred by tears. She tried to blink them away, but instead it just caused them to fall down her cheek. She had no clue what Alvin was trying to do, but she decided to give him a chance.

Her eyes scanned the list. Everything looked the same from when she last saw it. Except there was more added at the bottom of the paper that wasn't in her handwriting:

_Reason #8: Well, actually there is no Reason #8. Actually, there's no Reason #1 either. Or 2 or 3. Or 4-7. There aren't any reasons why Eleanor Miller shouldn't like Alvin Seville. But there are reasons why she should like him._

_He really isn't too much of a jerk. Yeah, he thinks he's pretty cool, but can you blame him? And yeah, he's kind of complex, but really he's not too hard to figure out once you get to know him. And he doesn't mind dirty soccer uniforms. He prefers them actually. They're comfortable and familiar, like a best friend. And Eleanor is good enough for him. She might be too good for him, actually. _

_And she is exactly what he wants. She is what he's wanted all along; he was just too stupid to realize it. _

_And (hopefully) it might just happen._

Eleanor couldn't think straight. Was this really happening?

"S-so what are you saying?" she was pleased that she could form a sentence, her mind was so cloudy.

Her heart nearly beat out of her chest when Alvin sat down next to her and took her hand into his.

"I'm saying that we should be together." Alvin's blue eyes locked with her brown ones. Eleanor couldn't have looked away from his intense stare even if she tried. "I should have realized that a long time ago."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Eleanor's breathe caught in her throat when Alvin gently pushed a stray piece of blond hair away from her face. When he did that, Eleanor knew.

She loved him.

She had been denying it for so long. She had tried desperately to change her mind, to convince herself that she didn't feel that way. But the pretending was over. There was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with Alvin Seville.

Alvin slowly moved his face closer to Eleanor's. She almost fainted on the spot.

_He's going to kiss me!_ her mind screamed.

But then she thought, _Oh crap, he's going to kiss me._

Eleanor gently pulled back. "We can't." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"We can," Alvin assured her. He cupped her chin and pulled her closer.

Before Eleanor could say another word, her lips were against Alvin's. She knew this was coming, but she still felt shocked. Her heart was pounding and her knees felt weak. But somehow she convinced herself to get a grip… her eyes fluttered shut and she kissed him back.

Eleanor had only been kissed one other time in her life, and it was by Theodore at a carnival in fourth grade. And that had only been a quick, innocent peck on the lips. She had never had a real, passionate kiss before. By the way Alvin was kissing her, it was obvious that he'd had a lot of experience in that area. And usually something like that would intimidate Eleanor. But for some reason, Eleanor didn't care. She didn't care if Alvin thought she was a good or bad kisser; she just cared about kissing him. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right, but it _felt _right, and that was all that mattered.

Alvin slowly pulled away after a few seconds. His eyes opened and he smiled at Eleanor.

"You don't know how long I've wanted that to happen," Eleanor admitted softly. Her heart felt full and happy, as if it would burst of joy.

Without another word, Alvin kissed her again. Eleanor felt a little braver this time and rested her hands on his shoulders. She felt his arms hold her waist. She smiled into the kiss when he pulled her closer.

_This moment is perfect,_ she thought.

They pulled away again, grinning. Eleanor couldn't help but notice Alvin's face was a little flushed. He looked so beautiful, so…

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Eleanor froze. Alvin stared at her, his jaw open, his eyes unblinking. The happy butterflies in her stomach were immediately replaced with a sick feeling of dread.

She recognized the furious shriek from anywhere. She slowly turned toward the door and her worst fear was confirmed.

The Chipette's hands were curled into fists at her sides. Her eyes flashed with hate. Her face was crimson with rage. Her mouth was twisted in a horrible frown, as if she was about to explode with anger.

Brittany had seen them. She had seen it all.

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Uh oh... TROUBLE! Send me a review to tell me your thoughts, I want to know what you guys think of this chapter. :)


	10. Sister vs Sister

**Author's Note: **Sorry for slacking off again... I know I'm not exactly the fastest updater. So to make it up to all of you, I made this chapter really long. So get comfortable, it's a lengthy read! Personally, I'm not so sure how I feel about this chapter. But there are a lot of Alvinor moments, so hopefully you guys like that. Please tell what you think in a review. I love reviews. :) Enjoy the chapter, hopefully I won't take as long releasing the next one!

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The only thought that went through Eleanor's mind was, _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…_

Well, that and a few colorful swear words.

Eleanor had never seen Brittany look so angry before. And she had seen Brittany angry _many_ times, practically every day of their lives. Eleanor had never really thought much of it; her sister had been throwing temper tantrums since she was in diapers. Over the years, Eleanor had accepted that Brittany was just a very temperamental person.

But Eleanor had never seen Brittany as mad as she did after Brittany saw her kissing Alvin.

"What the HELL is going on?" Brittany repeated. Her body shook with anger, making Eleanor's stomach turn over.

Alvin quickly stood up, as if he had just came out of his daze.

"Britt, we need to talk," he said. Eleanor was impressed that Alvin looked so cool about this… she knew she looked absolutely horrified.

"Get out," Brittany said through clenched teeth. Her icy stare gave Eleanor chills.

Alvin didn't move. He tried again. "Brittany, just listen to…"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Brittany screamed. She shoved Alvin with all her might, sending him stumbling backwards.

Eleanor gasped. Brittany was petite, but she knew her sister contained scary strength when she was angry enough to use it.

Alvin gave Eleanor an apologetic look before he left room. Eleanor opened her mouth to ask him to stay, but the words wouldn't come out. She was too baffled by the last thirty seconds that she was literally speechless.

She jumped when Brittany whipped her head around to face her. If looks could kill, Eleanor would have been dead on the spot.

"You little whore," Brittany hissed. "How _dare_ you?"

Brittany's words were like venom. Eleanor's body suddenly felt weak.

"Alvin and I have been going out for years," Brittany spat. "And you have the nerve to stick your tongue down his throat!" Brittany shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it; My own sister, a back-stabbing slut!"

_Slut?_ A lump formed in Eleanor's throat. No one had ever called her that, let alone a family member.

"I knew you liked him," Brittany went on. "I've known for a while. The pathetic way you look at him, the stupid sports talk… it's been obvious for a _long_ time. And you know what? I didn't care." Brittany let out a humorless laugh. "I really didn't care! Because you're my _sister_, Eleanor, and I knew I'd have nothing to worry about. And then I come in and find you seducing him…"

"Wait a minute!" that got Eleanor's attention. She gathered up every last ounce of pride she had left to defend herself. "You think this is all _my_ fault? For your information, _he_ kissed _me_."

"Yeah right," Brittany scoffed. She had calmed down an incredible amount in the last five seconds. Her mood had quickly shifted from furious to annoyed. "As if Alvin would ever go for _you _when he has someone like me."

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Now it was Eleanor's turn to get mad.

Brittany gave her sister a condescending look. "Please. Do I really need to explain?"

A rush of anger surged through Eleanor's body, and suddenly she no longer felt timid or guilty. She was mad as hell.

Eleanor stood up from the bed and looked her sister in the eye. "No, Brittany, explain. Go right ahead."

"Alvin loves me," Brittany said, as if she was talking to a three-year-old. "He has for years. And I love him. He would never leave _me_, the hottest girl in school, for _you_."

Eleanor knew she shouldn't be fazed by Brittany's words… after all, Brittany had been self-centered as long as she could remember. But the more Brittany talked about how much better she was than Eleanor, the more Eleanor wanted to smack her make-up covered face.

"You sure have a funny way of showing your love for him," Eleanor said, folding her arms across her chest. "But I guess if you call treating him like shit loving him, then, yeah, I guess you're madly in love."

"You don't know anything," Brittany said, her blue eyes narrowing. She obviously didn't have a comeback for that one.

"I know that he won't have sex with you." Eleanor's mouth was working faster than she could think. But she didn't care. She didn't care about hurting Brittany's feelings because, at this point, she didn't think her sister had any feelings to begin with.

"What are you talking about?" Brittany asked with a frown. Her face was hard, but her voice sounded unsteady, like she was nervous. "We have sex all the time."

"That's not what I heard," Eleanor said. Her confidence grew when she sensed Brittany's discomfort. "Alvin doesn't want to do anything with you because he doesn't really love you. And I don't blame him, after the crappy way you treat him. Not to mention that you cheat on him…"

"That's ridiculous!" Brittany protested, although her face was bright pink.

"Is it?" Eleanor challenged. "Because I have it on good authority that you were…"

"Who told you?" Brittany asked with an eye roll. "That nerdy little friend of yours? What's her name, Mary? Myra? That bitch is known for starting rumors, don't believe her."

"She's not a nerd, and the only bitch around here is you." Eleanor was was surprisingly pleased that she had insulted her sister. "And it doesn't matter who told me. All I know is that _you're_ the slut Brittany, not me."

Brittany glared at her sister. Normally Eleanor would have turned away, but she forced herself not to break eye contact. "You'd better take that back."

"And you'd better get out of Brittany Land and face the real world," Eleanor said. She didn't know where these words were coming from, but they flowed easily as if she had been reading them from a script she had been working on for months. "The world doesn't revolve around you. And Alvin doesn't love you; he loves me."

The sisters faced each other in silence. Eleanor never once considered turning away from Brittany's hateful scowl; Brittany was _not_ better than her. They were equals. No, they weren't… Eleanor was the superior one.

"I _hate_ you," Brittany said in a low voice. "I hate you so much."

Eleanor didn't answer. The words stung, but she didn't back down.

"I never want to see you ever again," Brittany said, her voice getting louder.

"Fine," Eleanor said, surprised that she sounded so strong. She stuffed her homework in her back pack and hurried out the door, not looking back. As she made her way downstairs, Jeanette appeared in the foyer.

"Eleanor?" Jeanette looked confused. "I was outside and heard some shouting. Is everything okay?"

"No," Eleanor said, walking past her sister.

"Where are you going?" Jeanette's eyes were full of concern.

"I don't know," was Eleanor's honest reply. "I'll call you later."

"Wait!" Jeanette called, but Eleanor had already shut the front door. She didn't know where she was going, but she certainly wasn't going to stay in the same building as Brittany Miller.

* * *

A half hour later, Eleanor was crying on the bleachers that faced an empty soccer field. She wasn't sure why she had chosen to go to the soccer field of all places; she just didn't know where else to go. She just wanted to be alone.

Eleanor wasn't usually a crier, but she let the tears flow without a second thought. She kept thinking that maybe Alvin wasn't worth it, and knew it was unlikely that Brittany would ever forgive her. Brittany was capable of holding grudges for years; when she said she never wanted to see Eleanor again, she probably meant it.

"Who am I kidding?" Eleanor asked herself between sobs. "He's totally worth it."

Suddenly Eleanor realized that she hated Brittany. She hated Brittany for taking away one of the happiest moments in her life. She hated Brittany for thinking that she was nothing but a fat loser who wasn't good enough for Alvin. She hated Brittany for hating her.

And she hated that she hated Brittany. Sisters weren't supposed to hate each other. Especially not because of a boy.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Eleanor gasped and turned to her right. Alvin was looking down at her, a sad smile on his face. Normally she would have cracked a joke about how he had just snuck up on her for the hundredth time in two days, but she wasn't in a joking mood.

She wiped her tears and turned away. Part of her was glad that Alvin had found her, but he was also one of the last people she wanted to see at the moment.

Alvin sighed and sat down next to her. The two settled into a long silence, both wondering who would be the first to speak and what they would say.

"I'm sorry," Alvin finally said.

Eleanor blinked. Out of all the things she thought Alvin would say, "sorry" wasn't one of them.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Alvin explained. "It's my fault."

"It isn't _all _your fault," Eleanor said.

"Yes it is." Alvin leaned backward, his back settling against the row of bleachers behind them. "I was the one who kissed you."

Eleanor felt a smile tickle her lips. "I didn't exactly try to stop you."

"You tried," Alvin reminded her.

"Not very hard," Eleanor admitted.

Alvin let out a small chuckle. "Well I started it. And I'm sorry."

Eleanor turned her body toward him and looked Alvin in the eyes. "I don't want you to be sorry. I'm glad you kissed me. I _wanted_ you to kiss me. And if I had the choice, I'd do it over again."

Alvin raised his eyebrows. "Really? You'd go through Brittany's wrath again?"

Eleanor took a deep breath and nodded. Because she realized that she truly would. "It was worth it to kiss you and hear the things you said." Eleanor smiled. "And that note you wrote was adorable."

Alvin cleared his throat as a blush crept up to his face. "Thanks. Glad you liked it."

Eleanor giggled. She didn't think she could ever make Alvin Seville embarrassed. "It was cute, Alvin. I liked it because it came from your heart."

"I meant every word," he said, still looking uncomfortable. He obviously wanted the talk about his gooey love confession to end, so Eleanor decided to change the subject.

"So what are we going to do?"

"About what?" Alvin asked.

"Us." Eleanor bit her lip. She hoped that he still wanted to be with her, despite everything that had happened.

"I want to be with you Ellie." Eleanor's heart did a million flip flops in her chest, even though Alvin's face was serious and she knew there was going to be a "but" coming up. "But it's not going to be easy. If we date, Brittany is going to let the world know that you stole me from her."

"I didn't steal you from her!" Eleanor exclaimed. She couldn't believe Alvin had just said that.

"I know," Alvin said. "But no one else knows the whole story. Brittany can turn everyone against you just like_ that_." Alvin snapped his fingers. "And I don't know if I could put you through all that bullshit."

Eleanor sighed. Alvin was right. Brittany and her copy cat friends would make her life a living hell if she and Alvin publically dated. Actually, Brittany was probably well on her way to spreading the news that Alvin had "cheated" on her with Eleanor. She wouldn't be surprised if by tomorrow she was the new school slut.

"Maybe we should just sleep on it," Alvin suggested. "We should go home. Remember, you have a soccer game. You can't focus with all this crap going on."

Eleanor groaned. She had totally forgotten about that stupid soccer game.

"Come on," Alvin said. "I'll drive you home."

"I can't go home," Eleanor blurted.

Alvin gave her a curious look. "Look, I know Brittany isn't your favorite person right now, but you need to be able to go inside your own house, Eleanor."

"No." Eleanor shook her head and felt the tears come back. "I can't. You know how she gets when she's angry. And I can't put all this stress on Miss Miller and Jeanette. I just can't go home."

"And where do you plan on going?" Alvin asked.

Eleanor shrugged as tears slipped down her cheeks. She hadn't thought about it.

"Okay," Alvin said, standing up. "If you feel like you can't go to your house, you'll stay at mine."

Eleanor almost laughed. "Alvin, I don't think staying with you is a good idea."

"Why not?" Alvin asked. "It's not like you have anywhere else to go."

He had a point.

Alvin picked up Eleanor's backpack. "Let's go."

"Alvin," Eleanor said. "What about Dave? We have school tomorrow; he'll never let me spend the night. And how am I going to explain all this to Miss Miller?"

"So we won't tell them," Alvin said simply.

"Miss Miller will notice I'm gone."

"I doubt it," Alvin muttered. Eleanor gave him a warning look. "I mean, we'll think of something, okay? Just relax. Trust me, this will work out."

Alvin took Eleanor's hand in his, which somehow made her feel much better.

"Okay," Eleanor agreed. It was as if Alvin had put her under a spell, making her believe that everything would be okay. "Let's go."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Eleanor asked Alvin on the Seville's front porch. "I mean, shouldn't I sneak in the back or something?" She nervously glanced toward her own bedroom window to make sure Brittany wasn't watching her.

"Relax," Alvin said, as if he had snuck girls into his house thousands of times (which, knowing Alvin, he probably had). "Just stay here for a minute and I'll make sure the coast is clear. Then I'll come get you, and you run up to my room as fast as you can."

Eleanor took a deep breath, not bothering to hide her discomfort.

"You know," Alvin said gently, "we could just ask Dave if you could stay the night. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"No," Eleanor said, looking at her bedroom window again. "We can't tell Dave about what happened. He'd probably think I was a slut too."

Alvin rolled his eyes. "This is _Dave_ we're talking about, El. I don't even think the guy knows what a slut is."

Eleanor cracked a smile. "I just don't feel comfortable telling him, okay?"

"Fine." Alvin grinned. "Sneaking in is more fun anyway."

Now it was Eleanor's turn to roll her eyes. "Let's just do this before Brittany sees us."

Alvin nodded. He quietly opened the door and cautiously stuck his head inside. Then he opened the door wider and slipped into the house.

Eleanor folded her arms across her chest as a chilly breeze blew past her. She knew that she should be happy; after years of having feelings for Alvin, he had finally returned them. He had _kissed _her, something she only thought would happen in her dreams. Yet the only emotion Eleanor could feel at the moment was fear. She was afraid of getting caught staying the night at Alvin's. Eleanor knew how bad it would look only hours after they had…

The door opened, interrupting Eleanor's thoughts.

"It's safe," Alvin whispered. "I think everyone is in the kitchen."

"You _think?_" Eleanor's eyes widened. _Thinking_ wasn't good enough!

"I _know_ they're in the kitchen," Alvin said, even though Eleanor knew he was lying. "Now come on, we don't have much time."

Eleanor followed Alvin into the house. They quickly but quietly made their way upstairs and into Alvin's bedroom. Alvin shut the door as soon as they were inside.

Eleanor let out a sigh of relief. She instantly looked at Alvin's window to make sure the blinds were closed. Luckily they were.

"See?" Alvin said with a smile. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

A loud knock at the door made both of them jump.

"Alvin?" It was Dave.

Heart pounding, Eleanor dropped to the floor and hid behind Alvin's bed.

"What?" Alvin asked causally.

"Where have you been?" Dave sounded irritated. "Dinner has been ready for almost an hour. We were getting worried."

"I had to go back the school," Alvin replied. "I, uh, forgot my cleats."

"Why do you need your cleats?" Eleanor heard the door knob jiggle, followed by the sound of a turning lock.

"Don't come in!" Alvin yelped. "I'm, um… I'm changing!"

Eleanor listened to Dave give a frustrated groan. "Just come down and eat your supper."

"Yeah," Alvin said. "Be down soon!"

A few seconds later, Alvin announced Dave was gone.

Eleanor came out of her hiding spot and sat on Alvin's bed. "That was a close one."

"Nah," Alvin shook his head. "I had it all under control."

Eleanor's stomach made a loud growl. She had been so focused on other things in the last few hours that she had forgotten she hadn't had anything to eat since lunch.

Alvin raised his eyebrows. "I think someone is hungry."

Eleanor shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"Don't worry," Alvin said. "I'll bring you up something. Just stay here and be quiet." He left the room before Eleanor could say anything else.

Eleanor sighed and pulled her cell phone out of her bed. There were some things she needed to take care of.

As she dialed Jeanette's number, Eleanor made her way into Alvin's crowded closet. It was a tight fit, but she didn't want Dave or one of Alvin's brothers to hear her talking on the phone.

"Eleanor?" Jeanette picked up after the first ring. "Where are you? What's going on with you and Brittany? She's been yelling and…"

"I can't talk long," Eleanor said quietly. "I'm at the Sevilles' house. I'm going to stay here for the night."

"What?" Jeanette was obviously confused. "Why are you…"

"I'll explain later." Eleanor quietly closed the closet door and flipped the light switch on. "But you can't tell anyone I'm here, _especially _not Brittany."

"Um, okay."

"I need you to do me a favor," Eleanor said. "Tell Miss Miller that I'm spending the night at Mara's for a school project." She figured Miss Miller wouldn't mind; and she wouldn't be likely to ask any questions about a school project. "And I need you to bring my gym bag to school tomorrow for my soccer game."

"Alright," Jeanette sighed. "But I wish you would tell me what was going on."

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow," Eleanor promised. "It's a long story. Just make sure that Brittany doesn't find out that I'm here."

"Does Dave know you're there?" Jeanette asked.

"No," Eleanor admitted, feeling guilty for sneaking around Dave. "The only people who know are you and Alvin."

"Alvin?" Eleanor could practically see Jeanette scratching her head in confusion.

"Like I said," Eleanor whispered, "I'll explain tomorrow. Thanks again, Jeanette. I really appreciate this."

After a quick good bye, Eleanor hung up the phone and exited the closet, careful not to make too much noise.

She sat on Alvin's unmade bed and, for the first time, really observed his room.

Eleanor had been in Alvin's room a before, but never longer than a few minutes. She had never taken the time to look around; the red-painted walls were covered in posters of rock bands, football teams, and bikini models. Shelves were filled with various awards Alvin had won from soccer and his childhood singing career. The carpet was barely visible, littered with clothes, magazines, sports equipment, CDs, old homework assignments, and other miscellaneous objects. The room was a mess, a disaster zone. Yet somehow Eleanor felt comfortable and safe.

Stepping over the various items on the floor, Eleanor walked to Alvin's bulletin board. There were so many photographs tacked on that they overlapped each other. The pictures were very random, and from various dates. There were photos of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore on stage when they were younger, pictures of Dave and the boys on summer vacations, pictures of Alvin and his friends on the soccer team, and, of course, pictures of him with Brittany.

There was one picture that the former couple that really captured Eleanor's attention. Judging by their outfits, Eleanor assumed it was from one of last year's school dances. Brittany's arms were around Alvin, and they were both smiling. But Eleanor noticed Alvin's smile looked strained; the corners of his mouth turned up, but his eyes looked vacant. None of the other pictures on the board looked like that.

_Maybe he was more miserable with her than he thought,_ Eleanor thought.

Suddenly the doorknob turned. Eleanor's heart began to pound.

_This is it,_ she thought. _I've been caught._

As Eleanor began to prepare an explanation, Alvin stepped into the room.

"Oh my God," Eleanor breathed. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Alvin said. He looked from Eleanor to the photo collage. "You weren't snooping around, were you?"

"I wouldn't need to," Eleanor said with a grin. "I know all of your secrets anyway."

"You wish," Alvin leaned against the door, looking adorable cocky.

"So," Eleanor said, making sure to keep her voice quiet, "did you bring me anything to eat?"

"Sure did," Alvin replied. He handed her an apple, a few granola bars, and a bottle of water. "I would have brought you up an actual meal, but Dave would have been suspicious."

"He's probably already suspicious," Eleanor pointed out.

Alvin smirked. "No he isn't. And you're welcome."

"I was _going_ to say thank you," Eleanor said. She took a bite of her apple and looked at the digital clock on Alvin's candy wrapper-covered nightstand. It was almost eight o'clock and she still had homework to do.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" Alvin asked as he followed Eleanor's glance.

"I have homework," she groaned. "Good thing I brought my backpack."

"Speaking of that," Alvin said, "don't you have a game tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"How are you going to get your gym bag?" Alvin asked.

Eleanor unscrewed the water bottle lid. "I already took care of that."

Alvin looked intrigued. "Oh really?"

"I called Jeanette," Eleanor said. "She's bringing it to school tomorrow."

Alvin's blue eyes widened. "So Jeanette knows you're here?"

"Yes."

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know where you were."

Eleanor took a long drink of water, loving how refreshing the cool liquid felt as it slid down her throat.

"I can trust Jeanette," Eleanor said. "She's the nice sister."

Alvin smiled. "Good point."

Eleanor and Alvin talked as Eleanor ate her food and did her homework. As usual, their conversations flowed easily, containing perfect amounts of humor and seriousness. After a while, Eleanor began to forget about Brittany. It felt as if she and Alvin were the only two people in the world.

After Alvin finished telling a story about a kid passing out in his science class when they watched a video about reproductive organs, Eleanor noticed the bright red numbers on the alarm clock read 11:33.

"Alvin," she said. "We've been talking for over three hours."

"Really?" Alvin seemed surprised. "Wow. It seemed like we just got here."

Eleanor smiled, but her smile vanished when she felt a familiar feeling in her lower stomach.

"Uh, Alvin," she said nervously.

"What?"

"I have to go to the bathroom." Eleanor held up her empty water bottle and shrugged.

"Okay," Alvin calmly nodded. "Not a problem. Just follow me."

"What if there's someone in the hallway?" Eleanor asked.

"There won't be," Alvin assured her. "Dave and Theodore go to bed at like ten on weeknights. And if Simon is up, he's busy on his computer."

Eleanor had no option but to trust the guy. After all, he hadn't been wrong about anything so far.

Alvin opened his bedroom door and looked around the hallway. He turned and gestured Eleanor to follow him.

The two tiptoed down the hall and slipped into the bathroom. Eleanor was relieved they had made it. By this time, she really had to go. But as she made her way to the toilet, she noticed that Alvin was making no effort to leave.

"You can go now," she told him.

"No," Alvin said. "I have to stay in here. I can't just stand by the door. If someone has to use the bathroom, I'll look suspicious if I tell someone not to go inside. It's better for them to think that I'm using the bathroom."

Eleanor's jaw dropped. "I can't pee in front of you!"

"I won't look," Alvin promised.

"No way!" Eleanor hissed. Although Alvin's theory actually made sense, Eleanor wasn't about to go to the bathroom in front of him. They were nowhere near that point in their relationship.

"It's not a big deal," Alvin said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone pees. Now it would be kind of awkward if you had to… you know, do the other thing." Alvin looked at her carefully. "You don't have to do that, right?"

"No!" Eleanor squealed.

"Okay, good." Alvin was visibly relieved. "I like to pretend that girls don't do that."

Eleanor started to say something else, but was startled by a knock on the door.

"Alvin?" Simon's voice asked. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah," Alvin called. He gave Eleanor an _I told you so_ look.

"Are you almost done?"

"Almost," Alvin answered. He pointed to the toilet, urging Eleanor to hurry up.

The tickling feeling in Eleanor's bladder increased, and she knew she had no choice but to go.

Eleanor mouthed the words, _Turn around_ to Alvin, which he did. She quickly pulled her pulled her pants down, sat, and did her business. The tinkling sound of her urine hitting the toilet water was extremely embarrassing. She looked at Alvin, whose shoulders were shaking. Eleanor knew he was silently laughing.

A few seconds later, Eleanor was done. She flushed the toilet and was about to wash her hands in the sink when Alvin stopped her and shook his head no. Before Eleanor could say anything, Alvin pulled her toward the bath tub and gestured that she should get in. Eleanor's eyes widened and she shook her head with protest, but Alvin pushed her closer to the tub. Reluctantly, Eleanor climbed into the tub and sat (thankfully the tub was dry). As Alvin quietly shut the shower curtain, she saw him raise the toilet seat.

_Wow,_ Eleanor thought._ He really thinks of everything._

She heard Alvin open the door and Simon asked, "What took you so long?"

"If you were so tired of waiting, why didn't you just use the bathroom downstairs?" Alvin asked. Eleanor had wondered the same thing.

"It's convenient," Simon replied. "My toothbrush is in here, and I…"

"Okay, whatever," Alvin said. "Night."

"Good night," Simon sighed.

Eleanor held her breath as Simon closed the door. This was turning into the most awkward five minutes of her life.

She heard a zipper and then a tinkling sound. Eleanor cringed. She couldn't believe she was hiding behind the shower curtain, listening to Simon Seville pee. How humiliating!

Simon flushed the toilet and washed his hands. Then Eleanor heard him brush his teeth.

Please, she silently prayed. Hurry up!

But she had no such luck; Simon spent nearly five minutes on his teeth, and then combed his hair. Eleanor didn't think boys combed their hair at all, let alone before bed.

Finally, Simon turned out the light and left. Eleanor waited a few minutes before quietly getting out of the tub and cautiously making her way to Alvin's room. When she got there, Alvin was sitting on his bed reading a magazine.

"I don't know whether to thank you or slap you," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"I think you know which one I prefer," Alvin said with a grin. "Although slapping could be kind of kinky."

"Shut up," Eleanor giggled. She reached into backpack to fish out her travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer. "By the way, why wouldn't you let me wash my hands?"

"Simon would have been suspicious," Alvin answered.

Eleanor found the tiny bottle and squirted the liquid on her palm. "Why?"

"Well he thought I was the one using the bathroom," Alvin explained. "And I don't normally…"

"Ew!" Eleanor's nose wrinkled. "You don't wash your hands?"

"Name a guy who does," Alvin challenged.

"Simon did!" Eleanor said. She rubbed the sanitizer on her hands.

"Okay," Alvin said. "Name a_ normal_ guy who does."

"That's gross," Eleanor said. She tossed him the hand sanitizer, and although he rolled his eyes, he used some.

"Here you go," Alvin said. He handed her a large t-shirt and plaid pajama shorts. "I guess I'll go to the bathroom and change." He grinned. "And I'll even wash my hands this time."

"Thanks," Eleanor said. Then she thought of something else. "What am I going to wear to school tomorrow? The only outfit I have is the one I'm wearing, and this is what I wore all day."

Alvin shrugged. "Well no one notices jeans, so you can wear the ones you're wearing now. And you can borrow one of my hoodies or something."

"Sounds good to me," Eleanor agreed. Maybe this whole secret sleepover thing was going to work out after all.

Alvin left the room to let Eleanor change into her (well, Alvin's) sleepwear. When he came back, he brought a toothbrush that was still in its package, along with toothpaste and a cup of water for Eleanor to brush her teeth. She was touched by his thoughtfulness.

Finally it was time for bed… although Eleanor still wasn't sure what the sleeping arrangements were going to be.

"So," Eleanor said, "where am I going to sleep?"

Alvin looked at her as if she had just asked him what country they lived in. "My bed. Where else?"

"Then where are you going to sleep?"

"My bed." Alvin smirked. "Where else?"

"Okay…" Eleanor wasn't sure what to think.

"Relax, Ellie," Alvin said. "We're just going to sleep. We don't have to do anything." He raised his eyebrows. "Unless you want to, of course."

Eleanor laughed, but she hoped he was kidding. But his hopeful look remained.

_Okay, maybe he's not _totally _kidding._

"Sleeping works for me," Eleanor said.

"Fine," Alvin said, even though she knew he wasn't surprised. "But seriously, it's not a big deal sharing the same bed, Eleanor, so don't freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" Eleanor asked.

Alvin shrugged. "You just don't seem like the type of girl who jumps into bed with people."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Eleanor said. It was nice to hear someone say that she wasn't a slut for a change.

"You should," Alvin told her.

Eleanor knew Alvin had a point about her potentially freaking out about sleeping with him, even if it was just sleeping. But she promised herself that she wouldn't be prude about it; Alvin was right, it wasn't a big deal.

"You know," Eleanor said, "most guys would offer to sleep on the floor and let the girl take the bed."

"I'm not like most guys," Alvin reminded her. "Besides, there's no room on my floor for a sleeping bag."

"That's true," Eleanor agreed.

Alvin turned off the flipped off the light switch. The only light was the glow of the red numbers on Alvin's digital clock and the moonlight pouring in between the blinds.

Alvin pulled down the blankets and nodded toward the king sized bed. "After you."

Eleanor climbed into the bed and Alvin followed. They pulled the blankets up at the same time and spent a few minutes laying in silence.

"Alvin," Eleanor finally spoke softly.

"Yeah?" He turned to face her, his elbow propped up against the pillow, his hand holding up his head.

"Thank you," she said. Eleanor looked straight at him, hoping he knew she truly meant it. "Thank you so much for everything."

"You don't need to thank me," Alvin said.

"Yes I do," Eleanor insisted. "You've been so great about letting me stay here. I really appreciate it."

The two fell silent again, not taking their eyes off each other.

"I really want to kiss you right now," Alvin said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I don't know," she replied, even though her heart was doing a million flip flops. "Hasn't kssing gotten into enough trouble?"

Even in darkness, Eleanor could see the mischief in Alvin's eyes.

"Since when have I ever cared about getting into to trouble?"

That was all it took. Her lips were pressed against Alvin's in no time.

Eleanor decided to let loose and savor the moment. She knew the next day would be pure hell, so she figured to enjoy herself while she could. Who knew when she and Alvin would be able to kiss like this again?

So when Alvin tangled his fingers in her hair, she let him. When he pulled her closer, she let him. When his tongue entered her mouth, she let him do it. She let herself relax and enjoy her first make-out session instead of worry if she was doing it right.

They finally broke apart after a few minutes, breathing hard.

"Wow," was all Alvin could say.

"And you thought I'd freak out," Eleanor said with a smile. She snuggled up to him. She had never felt so close to anyone before. "Good night, Alvin."

Alvin rested his cheek on the top of Eleanor's blond head. "Night, El."

Seconds later, Eleanor fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, not once worrying about what was yet to come; because no matter what happened, she had found someone who loved her. And at the moment, that was all she could think about.

* * *

**Well what did you think? Send me a review and tell me! :P**


	11. Brittany's Ultimatum

**A/N: I'll just skip the part where I apologize for slacking off and being a slow updater. Oh, well I guess I mentioned it anyway! Sorry. Anyway, this chapter is kind of short, but there's more to come soon. Actually, I'm not quite sure where the story goes after this… I have some ideas, but I'm struggling to come up with details. So if you have any suggestions, let me know. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Something wasn't right.

Alvin knew it the moment he stepped foot in school. Something was wrong because everything was… well, normal.

And after last night's events, Alvin had expected the day to be anything _but _normal.

No one was giving him curious looks or glares. No one was whispering about Eleanor, who was walking beside him (he didn't want her to walk into the school alone, thinking that everyone verbally attack her). There was none of that. Just kids laughing with friends at their lockers and strolling to first period. It was a typical Thursday morning at Albert Einstein High.

"Nobody's saying anything," Eleanor whispered. As if sneaking Eleanor out of the house wasn't stressful enough, it didn't help that Eleanor was incredibly unfocused. All morning she had been terrified about coming to school, convinced that Brittany had turned all of her classmates against her over night. Alvin had tried to convince her that everything would turn out okay, but they both figured they were in for a long day of taunting. They knew how cruel kids could be.

"Maybe nobody knows," Alvin replied. "Maybe Brittany didn't tell anyone."

"Yeah, right." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "This is _Brittany_ were talking about. Revenge is her middle name. She wouldn't keep her mouth shut about this one."

"Well maybe they forgot," Alvin suggested as they reached Eleanor's locker.

"Brittany would make sure they'd remember," Eleanor pointed out. She began entering her locker combination.

"Usually _you're_ the optimistic one," Alvin said.

Eleanor gave him a small smile as she started to open her locker. "Lately I haven't been feeling so optimistic."

Suddenly a thought entered Alvin's head and he slammed Eleanor's locker door shut before she could open it all the way.

"What was that for?" Eleanor asked, her brown eyes wide with surprise.

"I just thought of something," Alvin said. "Last winter, Brittany came up with a brand new cheer routine for basketball season. She showed it to Vanessa Hartford before she showed it to the whole squad, because Vanessa was a senior, and she wanted an opinion of an older cheerleader. Well, Vanessa ended up showing Britt's routine to the squad and they loved it."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Eleanor asked, her voice tired and agitated.

"I'm getting to it," Alvin assured her. "Anyway, Vanessa took all the credit for the new cheer, and Brittany was furious. Believe me, I heard all about it." Alvin rolled his eyes at the memory. "So Brittany somehow got the girl's locker combination, and filled her locker with leftover cafeteria food. It was pretty nasty. There was spaghetti in there, green jell-o, spoiled milk…"

"So you think Brittany did something to my locker," Eleanor summed it up.

"Well, yeah," Alvin said with a shrug. "Brittany made sure everyone watched Vanessa open her locker. She was so humiliated when all the old food spilled on her, that she quit the cheerleading team. Not to mention the food ruined all her text books, which cost her lots of money to pay for those damages. Some say that she couldn't get the smell of fish sticks out of her hair for weeks."

"I didn't know that Brittany was the one who did it," Eleanor admitted. "I guess that explains why Vanessa never came over to our house after that. Did Brittany ever get caught?"

"No one could prove that she did it," Alvin said. "But everyone knew it was her."

"That figures," Eleanor sighed. She stood on her tip toes and sniffed near the small vents in her locker. "Well, I don't smell any rotten food. And nobody is paying attention to us. You'd think Brittany would want to make a show of it, if she did anything."

"Try it," Alvin said.

So Eleanor entered her combination again and slowly opened the locker. But there was nothing that hadn't been there the day before.

"Looks okay to me," Eleanor said. She gathered her books. "This is weird."

"Tell me about it," Alvin said. "I've got to go to class."

"Okay," Eleanor responded. "Oh, and maybe we should keep our distance. You know, in case people actually do know."

"Right," Alvin agreed. "See ya."

"Bye." Eleanor gave him a nervous smile, like she knew something bad was going to spring on them when they least expected it.

Or at least that was how Alvin felt.

Alvin reached his locker and cautiously opened it. Thankfully, there was nothing out of the ordinary. When he grabbed his History book from the top shelf, a pair of small, soft hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who!"

Alvin knew that voice from anywhere.

"Brittany?"

Alvin turned around and faced the pretty, smiling Chipette.

"The one and only," Brittany confirmed. She gave him a peck on the cheek, leaving sticky pink lip gloss on Alvin's face.

"Um, are you okay?" Alvin asked. Did Brittany have amnesia or something? Why wasn't she furious at him?

"I'm fine," Brittany said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well I just figured you'd be…"

The loud bell rang, signaling students to get to class.

"Well there's the bell," Brittany said. She gave Alvin a quick hug. "See you at lunch!"

Alvin watched Brittany practically skip off to class. His mind was in a daze.

_What the hell?_

By the time lunch period rolled around, Brittany still hadn't acknowledged last night's events. Brittany sat by Alvin at lunch and was constantly touching and flirting with him. Alvin looked across the cafeteria and caught Eleanor staring. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and hurt. Alvin just rolled his eyes and shrugged, hoping to convince Eleanor that the PDA show Brittany was trying to put on wasn't going to affect how he felt about her.

"Alvie," Brittany said, interrupting Alvin's thoughts. "Don't forget about after school today."

"What's going on after school?" Alvin asked. He honestly had no idea.

Brittany rolled her baby blues up to the ceiling and sighed. "Homecoming rehearsal. You're my escort, remember?"

"Right," Alvin said, vaguely remembering that Brittany told him about the rehearsal in a voice message. "Um, look Brittany, I think we should talk this whole escort thing."

Suddenly, everyone at the table stopped talking and looked directly at Alvin and Brittany. Alvin didn't think he was talking that loud…

Brittany, aware that the most popular kids in school were watching them, put on a fake smile and said, "Okay, let's talk. Over here." She stood up and yanked Alvin away from the table, toward the double doors and out into the empty hallway. Alvin could have sworn he heard the people at his lunch table let of disappointed sighs that they wouldn't get to witness any arguments.

"What the hell was that?" Brittany demanded. "Why would you say that in front of our friends? Now they're going to think we're having problems!"

"We _are_ having problems," Alvin reminded her. "What's up with you today? You're acting like nothing happened last night."

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing _did_ happen last night," Brittany said, folding her slender arms across her chest.

Alvin shook his head. "Brittany, this isn't working out. We can't…"

Brittany held up her hand. "Don't say it," she warned.

"But Brittany, I…"

"No," Brittany said, shaking her head. "We are _not_ breaking up. You are not going to leave me without an escort for Homecoming."

"You're cute," Alvin said with a shrug. "I'm sure you'll find someone to take you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back inside to eat my lunch."

Alvin started to walk back to the cafeteria, but was stopped when he heard Brittany say, "Not so fast, Alvin! I think there's something you should know."

"What are you talking about?" Alvin asked impatiently. He faced Brittany.

"I really didn't want it to come down to this," Brittany said, as she opened her purse. "But you leave me no choice."

Brittany pulled a photograph out of her bag and handed it to Alvin.

"If you dump me," Brittany said, "this baby gets leaked to the entire school."

Alvin studied the picture. It was a photo of Eleanor with a beer can in her hand. Judging by what she was wearing and the background, Alvin knew it was taken the night of Missy's party. Eleanor hadn't drunk the beer; someone had just handed her the can out of nowhere. But looking at the photo, there was no way anyone would know that. It was just Eleanor holding an open container of alcohol. It was enough to get her kicked off the soccer team instantly, thanks to the strict No Alcohol policy.

"How did you even get this?" Alvin asked. Brittany was wasted in the other room when this happened.

"I have my sources," Brittany said with a mysterious smile. "Don't underestimate me, Alvin. I have lots of friends."

Alvin shoved the picture in his pocket.

"Go ahead and take it," Brittany said lightly. "I have hundreds of copies."

"Leave Eleanor alone," Alvin said angrily. "This is between you and me."

"Seriously, Alvin?" Brittany almost laughed. "This has everything to do with Eleanor. _She _was the one who kissed you. _She_ was the one who ruined our relationship."

"_You_ were the one who ruined our relationship!" Alvin spat. "I was going to break up with you before I even kissed her!"

"She still had a lot to with it," Brittany said. She clearly wasn't giving up on this one.

"Why are you doing this?" Alvin asked, because he really wanted to know. Brittany could easily have any guy in the school she wanted. Why was she willingly to ruin her sister's life for Alvin?

"I love you," was Brittany's simple answer.

"If you really loved me, you wouldn't be doing this," Alvin said, looking directly into the Chipette's eyes.

"You might say that now," Brittany said, "but you'll change your mind. So, we're still cool, right?"

"We haven't been cool in months," Alvin said through clenched teeth. "And we'll never be cool again."

Brittany shrugged. "Okay. I guess I'll just send Ellie's little drinking picture to the athletic director then." She took off toward the office.

Alvin's mind raced. He wanted to break up with her. He wanted this whole thing to end. But he couldn't let Brittany do that to Eleanor. She had worked so hard on improving her game; it wasn't fair to take soccer away from her.

"Brittany!" Alvin called. "Wait."

Brittany turned around and grinned. "Yes?"

Alvin took a deep breath. "Where do we meet for the rehearsal?"

Brittany's smile widened. "The football field at three o'clock sharp."

"Okay," Alvin said. He frowned. "I guess I'll see you there."

Brittany hurried over to Alvin and threw her arms around him. "Believe me, this hurts me more than it hurts you," she said in his ear.

"Yeah right," Alvin scoffed.

Brittany pulled back and looked at him with a soft expression. "It does, Alvin. But if this is what I have to do to keep us together, so be it. You may hate me for it now, but it'll work out in the end."

_Oh my God,_ Alvin thought. _I think she's serious._

"Oh, and another thing," Brittany said, snapping out of her sweetness. "If you treat me like crap through all of this, the deal is off. Clear?"

"Like crystal," Alvin replied.

And just like that, the bitch was back.

**...**

Alvin had been sitting in his car at the high school parking lot for twenty minutes, waiting for the bus to arrive. It was almost ten o'clock at night, and he was waiting for the girls' soccer team to return from their away game.

He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Eleanor since that morning, and he wanted to talk to her in person about what had happened with Brittany earlier. Alvin just hoped Brittany didn't know he was meeting Eleanor. The chipmunk knew Brittany would e-mail Eleanor's picture to the whole student body in a heartbeat if she found out he was even talking to Ellie.

Finally Alvin saw the bus's bright headlights down the road. The bus pulled in the parking lot, and the girls walked down the narrow stairs one at a time, hurrying toward their cars.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw Eleanor get off the bus. She looked cute in her dirty soccer uniform and messy blond ponytail. She glanced around the parking lot for Alvin's car, since he had texted her that he would be meeting her.

Alvin blinked his headlights a few times to get Eleanor's attention. Eleanor smiled when she recognized the car. She waved good-bye to some of her teammates and ran toward Alvin. She hopped in the car, her grin never wavering.

"Hey," she said, breathless.

"Hey," Alvin said. He figured he wouldn't drop the bomb on her right away. "So did you guys win?"

"Yeah," Eleanor said, leaning back on the cool leather seat. "Three to one."

"Did you score?" Alvin asked.

"Yup." Eleanor beamed. "Plus an assist."

Alvin smirked. "That's what you get by learning from the master."

"Of course," Eleanor giggled. "So did you talk to Brittany yet? Are you guys over?"

Alvin sighed. "Not exactly."

Eleanor's smile instantly faded into one of the saddest, most disappointed faces Alvin had ever seen.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Alvin said, running a head through his thick hair.

There was a brief moment of silence, until Eleanor said, "So… what's the deal? Do you still have feelings for her or something?"

"No," Alvin instantly replied. "Believe me, Ellie, you're the only one I want."

"Oh," Eleanor said, her face flushing a bit. "Then what's the problem?"

"It's just… complicated," Alvin stalled until he could come up with how to break the news to Eleanor that she was being blackmailed.

"Just tell me what's going on," Eleanor said, no longer sounding timid. "I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

Alvin sighed and pulled the troublesome photograph out of his pants pocket. He handed it to Eleanor.

Visibly confused, Eleanor took the picture and looked at it. Her eyes widened at this sight.

"Brittany is threatening to leak it out to the school," Alvin said miserably.

"B-but if someone sees this, I'll get kick off the team!" Eleanor stuttered.

"Right." Alvin nodded. "She said she won't show it if I go out with her."

Eleanor let the picture fall into her lap. The moonlight revealed that Eleanor's eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"How could she?" Eleanor whispered.

"I'm sorry El," was all Alvin could think of to say.

Eleanor rested her head on Alvin's shoulder and let the tears fall.

Alvin wasn't known for his sympathy, but he felt so sorry for Eleanor. He hated seeing her like this. Brittany had destroyed her. She had killed her sister's spirit.

Alvin sighed and gently laid the side of his face on Eleanor's head. They stayed like that for a while. The only sounds in the car were Eleanor's sobs.

Finally, Eleanor spoke up. "What if we told the principal about this?" she suggested. "Maybe they'll understand that it's just a big misunderstanding."

"I don't think they'd believe us," Alvin deadpanned.

"Why not?" Eleanor asked. "We're good kids. They have no reason not to believe us. We'll just convince them that…" Eleanor's voice trailed off as reality sunk in. "Oh, forget it. It's hopeless."

Hearing Eleanor say "hopeless" practically broke Alvin's heart. And he thought he was such a tough guy. Ellie was turning him into such a sap… but he kind of liked it, in a weird way. Brittany complained about bad stuff happening to her all the time, but he rarely felt sorry for her. He knew Brittany would be fine, that she could take care of herself; but with Eleanor, he felt that he needed to protect her, to be there for her. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"It'll be okay, Ellie," Alvin said. "We'll think of something."

"I hope so," Eleanor said. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you."

"For what?" Alvin asked.

"For being here for me," Eleanor said.

"You don't have to thank me every time I do something nice for you," Alvin said with a laugh.

Eleanor wiped her eyes and grinned. "Sorry. It's a habit."

"It's okay," Alvin said. "It's actually kinda cute."

Eleanor sighed and leaned back in her seat.

"Do you need a ride home?" Alvin asked.

"I was going to ask Candice to drop me off," Eleanor said. "The last thing we need is for Brittany to see us together."

"Fine," Alvin said.

Eleanor grinned. "Bye, Alvin." She opened the car door.

"Hey, Eleanor," Alvin said quickly.

Eleanor turned toward him.

"Are you going to Homecoming tomorrow night?"

"The game or the dance?"

"Either."

"I might go to the game," Eleanor said. "But I probably won't go to the dance."

"You should go," Alvin encouraged.

"I don't have a date," Eleanor pointed out, "or anything to wear."

"You could still come," Alvin said. He wanted her to be there and have some fun after such an emotional week.

Eleanor gave him a small smile. "I'll think about it." And with that, she was gone.

Alvin started up his engine and watched Eleanor climb into Candice's Toyota.

He hated this. He hated having his life ran by a snotty, possessive teenage girl. Alvin had never let Brittany push him around like this before, and he wasn't about to start now. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to let Brittany get away with this.

He was not going to let her win.

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**Not the most exciting chapter, but very important to the plot. Please review!**


	12. The Big Night

**A/N: **So I realized that the kids actually attend Thomas Edison school (or at least that's the elementary they went to) NOT Albert Einstein! I have no idea where I got Einstein… maybe because Simon talked about him in the show sometimes. I don't know. It's too late to change it now! Please read and review… I'll love you forever. Seriously.

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Eleanor wrapped her gray sweatshirt tighter around her body and stared down at the football field. The stands were packed; almost everyone in town had come to the big Homecoming game against AEHS's arch rival, the Belmont Panthers. The teams were tied 14-14 in the middle of the second quarter. It was shaping up to be a great game; the crowd was yelling and clapping, and the student section was quickly becoming the rowdiest Eleanor had ever seen. Usually Eleanor would have been cheering right along with them, but not today. She was in no mood for football. Not after everything that had happened.

She was sandwiched in between Theodore and Jeanette, which was awkward enough since Theodore was obviously still hurt about her turning him down a few days before. The usually friendly, talkative chipmunk was quiet and looked about as miserable as Eleanor did.

On top of the whole Theodore-guilt situation, there was that little Brittany/Alvin problem that was ruining her life. She just wanted to go home and cry in bed. The only reason she came was because she had to ride on a float in the Homecoming parade with the rest of the girls' soccer team, and Jeanette practically dragged her to the game afterward, trying to convince her to have some fun.

But Eleanor wasn't having fun at all. Especially after what happened a few hours before…

Eleanor had been looking at a magazine on her bed, trying to keep her mind off of Alvin and Brittany (which failed) when Brittany strolled in the room and made her way into the large walk-in closet. Eleanor watched her take a short, sexy silver dress off of a hanger. Brittany held it up to her slim body and posed in front of the full length mirror. She twirled a few times, admiring herself from different angles.

"That's a pretty dress, Britt," Jeanette said, walking into the bedroom.

"I know!" Brittany gushed. "I'm going to go over to Courtney's house to get ready. Coach said I didn't have to cheer tonight, since I'm on Homecoming Court. So I'm just going to wear this hot little number during the game."

"Oh," Jeanette said with a nod. "Won't you get cold? It's supposed to get down to…"

"I'll be _fine_, Jeanette," Brittany insisted. "We live in Cali-freaking-fornia." She started rummaging through her jewelry box.

Eleanor watched her tallest sister force a smile. "Well, good luck with everything. I know you'll look great."

"Thanks Jeanette," Brittany said. Then she loudly added, "You're the best sister a girl could ever have."

Brittany smirked at Eleanor. It was the first time in days that she had even acknowledged Eleanor's presence.

Jeanette awkwardly cleared her throat and excused herself, desperate to get away from the tension.

Eleanor took a deep breath. She decided that she had to do _something._

"Brittany," Eleanor said. "We should talk."

"About what?" Brittany asked, pulling a sterling silver necklace out of the heart-shaped box. "About how you made out with my boyfriend or about how you insulted me?"

Eleanor sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about the picture. I was thinking that…"

Brittany whirled around so fast that Eleanor felt a slight breeze from the quick motion.

"How do you know about the picture?" Brittany demanded.

_Oh shit!_ Eleanor's heart pounded as she realized what had just come out of her mouth. She really screwed up on this one.

"Um, I…" Eleanor desperately tried to come up with some kind of excuse.

"Alvin told you, didn't he?" Brittany looked furious.

"Well, he, uh…"

"I told him not to talk to you!" Brittany slammed the lid down on the jewelry box.

"He didn't talk to me!" Eleanor blurted. "I mean, not really. He didn't _say_ anything to me in person. He sent me a text telling me about the whole thing."

Eleanor tried her best to keep a calm straight face. She prayed that Brittany wouldn't ask to see the message, since it didn't exist.

"He's not supposed to text you either," Brittany said through her teeth. Brittany took a deep breath, obviously trying to relax. "I'll let it go this time. But if I catch you two even _looking_ at each other, that stupid picture goes up on the school website like that." Brittany snapped her fingers to show how fast she could ruin Eleanor's life even further.

"I don't want to be enemies with you, Brittany," Eleanor said calmly.

"Neither do I," Brittany said, scooping up her dress, jewelry, and silver pumps. "So just do as I say, and stay away from my man." Brittany flashed a condescending smile. "See ya, sis!"

Brittany slammed the bedroom door so hard that a picture frame hanging on the wall fell to the ground.

Eleanor walked over to the frame and picked it up. Inside was a photo of her, Jeanette, and Brittany at the beach the summer before sixth grade. The sisters had their arms wrapped around each other, smiling at the camera. The sunlight caught Jeanette's braces, making it look like there was more metal in her mouth than there already was. Eleanor's blonde pigtailed hair was tinted green from the many hours she spent in swimming pools that summer, and her round cheeks still showed evidence of unshed baby fat. Brittany looked gorgeous, even as an eleven year old. Her long damp hair cascaded around her shoulders and her eyes matched the bright blue sky in the background. She never went through an awkward phase like her sisters had.

There was a long crack in the glass part from when it had hit the floor. Eleanor couldn't help but think the crack resembled how shattered the sisters' relationship had become lately. She ran her thumb across the wooden frame and stared at the photograph inside. They weren't perfect, but they were happy. At least they got along. They loved each other.

Eleanor burst into tears, yet again. God, she hated how much crying she had done in the last few days. She had never cried that much in her entire life, not even when she was a baby. But she couldn't control it, no matter how hard she tried. Looking at that picture broke her heart all over again.

Fast forward three hours, and Eleanor finds herself shivering on the cold metal bleachers facing the football field. Her school's team just attempted a field goal to take the lead, but they failed. Everyone around her started groaning and booing, but Eleanor remained emotionless. Her mind was a million miles away.

Eleanor looked at the scoreboard and saw that there was less than a minute until halftime. She noticed a group of well-dressed people standing on the outside of the fence by the goal line. The Homecoming court was about to take the field.

Even in a crowd of pretty girls, Brittany still managed to stand out. The other girls had on nice dresses, but Brittany's was stunning. The bright lights illuminating the field caught her dress, making it shine and glow with every move she made. Her brown hair was done in a simple, yet stylish up-do. Her pumps made her legs look long and toned. Even though Brittany technically couldn't win the title of Homecoming Queen, she certainly looked like royalty tonight.

Alvin was standing next to her, wearing khaki pants and a very un-Alvin red sweater. He was talking to a group of guys, probably other escorts. Eleanor wondered if the other guys had bitchy girlfriends who were obsessed that they made the Homecoming court.

Probably not. Brittany was in a league of her own.

The buzzer sounded and the football players jogged toward their locker rooms. The announcer read off a few halftime stats and reminded everyone where the concession stand and bathrooms were located. Then he proudly boomed, "And sit tight, ladies and gentlemen, because the newest AEHS Homecoming Queen is about to be crowned!"

The audience whooped and hollered, but Eleanor was silent. She had been dreading this all week.

Eleanor saw Brittany clap her hands out of excitement. Alvin rolled his eyes, which Brittany clearly saw. She elbowed him in the ribs, and Eleanor could see her mouth the words, "Act happy."

Finally it was time.

The freshman couple was first. Arm-in-arm, the two nervously but happily made their way to the center of the football field.

"First we will introduce your three Homecoming Princesses!" The man announced, which received more applause from the stands. "Representing the Freshman class is Kimberly Martin, daughter of Dan and Lisa Martin. She is escorted by Luke Franklin, son of Jack and Anna Franklin."

The announcer listed Kimberly's extracurricular activities and hobbies, as he did the sophomore Princess.

"Now let's give it up for the last princess, representing the junior class, Brittany Miller!"

The crowd burst into cheers, including Jeanette, who had been almost as quiet as Eleanor up to this point.

"Whoo!" Jeanette hollered. "Go Brittany!"

Eleanor bit her lip and watched Alvin and Brittany walk across the field. Brittany was smiling and waving to the people, obviously enjoying all the attention she was getting. Alvin smiled genuinely, no doubt enjoying the attention himself; not because he was Brittany's escort, but because a group of guys in the front row were chanting his name.

"Brittany is the daughter of Beatrice Miller. She is escorted by Alvin Seville, son of Dave Seville," the announcer said. "Brittany is a varsity cheerleader and is a member of the high school choir. She has also participated in three school plays."

"Yoo hoo!" Eleanor looked down and saw Miss Miller shoving through people, snapping her camera. "Brittany! Look over here! Give me a big smile, dear!" Miss Miller's camera flash went off, nearly blinding the guy next to her. She was getting several angry glares from the people she kept bumping into.

It was the first thing that had made Eleanor smile all day.

"Brittany's hobbies," the announcer went on, "include hanging out with friends, shopping, styling hair, cheerleading, tanning, acting, singing, and spending time with her boyfriend, Alvin."

The audience let out a loud, disgustingly sweet _"Awww!"_ at the last "hobby." Eleanor felt like she was going to throw up.

"And now for your Homecoming Queen candidates!"

The crowd roared with applause. Each girl was introduced, but Eleanor couldn't take her eyes off Alvin and Brittany. They certainly were a good looking couple. She could understand why everyone in school was convinced that they "belonged together."

But they didn't know the truth. No one knew the truth except for Alvin, Brittany, and Eleanor. Nobody knew that pretty, popular Brittany Miller was blackmailing her own sister over a guy. Nobody knew how horrible Brittany treated Alvin. Nobody knew that Alvin and Eleanor were in love.

The winner was announced: Alicia Somebody. Or was her name Olivia? Eleanor hadn't been listening.

A tall brunette standing in the middle was smiling and crying like she had just won Miss America, so Eleanor guessed she was AEHS's new Homecoming Queen.

Last year's queen, a red-headed girl named Stacey Bird, placed a crown on Alicia/Olivia's head. Alicia/Olivia was bawling now, her mascara running down her face. It actually looked pretty ridiculous. Eleanor didn't know that being crowned Albert Einstein High School Homecoming Queen was so emotional.

_Then again, look at my crazy sister,_ she thought._ Maybe this thing does make you insane._

Jeanette tapped Eleanor on the shoulder.

"I'm going home to get dressed for the dance," Jeanette said. "Are you coming?"

"No thanks," Eleanor said. "I'll just stay here and watch the rest of the game."

"But Ellie," Jeanette said with a sad face, "if you stay for the game, you won't have time to get dressed up."

"I'm not going to the dance, Jeanette," Eleanor said.

Jeanette sighed. "Okay, it's your choice I guess. Will you have a ride home? Simon is taking me, and I think Brittany has the car."

"I just call Miss Miller for a ride," Eleanor said. "Or I can always walk. Don't worry about me, you just go on and get ready."

Jeanette gave her sister a sad smile. "Thanks Ellie. I hope you change your mind."

"I don't think I will," Eleanor said honestly. "But thanks."

Jeanette and Eleanor shared a quick hug before she took off with Simon. Eleanor turned to her left, expecting to see Theodore. But the chubby chipmunk had left.

So Eleanor ended up watching the rest of the football game by herself; well, she wasn't really by herself. She was surrounded by thousands of screaming fans. But it sure did feel like she was alone.

The game was tied 30-30 in the fourth quarter. The Panthers kicked a field goal late in the game, giving them a three point lead with thirty seconds remaining. Everyone was standing up, anxiously waiting to see what AEHS was going to do. Eleanor was actually really getting into the game at this point; once again, sports seemed to distract her from her personal life. She was watching the game closely, her heart pounding. She loved exciting games like this.

The center snapped the ball to quarterback Jake Winters, a senior who was in Eleanor's government class. Jake frantically scanned the field for an open receiver as a large guy in a Panthers uniform ran near him. Right before he got tackled, Jake sent the ball flying through the air. Eleanor held her breath as she watched the football soar in the sky. The crowd had went silent, all eyes on the brown leather ball.

The football landed in the hands of junior receiver Andrew Billings, who ran the ball in for a touchdown as time expired. The fans went wild; people were practically jumping out of the bleachers to crowd the field. Eleanor couldn't help but smile.

Eleanor watched the loud celebration for a while, and then decided to head home. While making her way into the parking lot, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She had a new text message. When she saw that it was from Alvin, her heart began to pound. She hesitantly opened it.

_Come to the dance,_ it read.

Eleanor's sighed. She needed to end this before Brittany caught them texting. There would be a good chance that Brittany would go through Alvin's phone later that night to see if he was in contact with Eleanor.

_Sorry,_ Eleanor typed, _we can't talk._

Eleanor angrily hit the send button, and turned her phone off so she wouldn't be tempted to answer anymore messages from him. She looked up and, as if God was playing a mean trick on her, locked eyes with Alvin who was walking with Brittany and their friends toward the school. He grinned at her, and Eleanor forced a quick smile back. He obviously had seen her text him back; but he was going to be mad when he saw what it said.

She leaned against the brick building and watched people gradually make their way off the crowded field. A lot of the people were adults or younger kids; Eleanor assumed most high school students were either getting ready for the dance or already there.

Eleanor envied those people. They didn't have to worry about being kicked off of a team, or dealing with mean sisters.

Then Eleanor looked down and saw a fuzzy reflection of her in a puddle. It was blurry, but she could clearly make out her defeated expression. She looked disturbingly unhappy.

And that really annoyed her, because she realized how whiny she was acting.

She was not as pretty as Brittany or as smart as Jeanette, but that was okay with her. She was just happy being Eleanor. She had to work extra hard for everything… in academics, at sports, even at keeping a boyfriend. But that had never bothered her; she liked the challenge, and she always believed in herself. Eleanor had always been a hard worker, and she had never complained near as much as she had been doing lately. She never used to lay at home in bed at cried. She never turned down fun events when she was tired. She never constantly thought about how much better off people were than her. She would just suck it up and move on.

_This pity party has got to stop,_ Eleanor thought. The whole thing was getting ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. Instead of doing something to help the situation, Eleanor had just been moping around, feeling sorry for herself.

Enough was enough. She was not going to let Brittany push her around. Let her show the stupid picture. Eleanor loved soccer, but if she had to let it go to be free, then so be it. This wasn't just about Alvin anymore; this was about Eleanor standing up for herself and what was right.

Feeling a new sense of confidence, Eleanor walked toward the school gymnasium where the Homecoming dance was being held. She knew she would look like a mess compared to everyone else, but she didn't have time to get home and find something decent to wear. She had to take care of this _now_, before things go any worse.

Eleanor knew she might regret this, but maybe not. One thing she was sure of was that she was sick of being pushed around by Princess Brittany. Her sister was not going to get away with this.

"That bitch better watch out," Eleanor muttered, picking up the pace, "because I'm going to take it anymore."

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**LOL, don't you just love the corny ending? Again, not my best… but it was okay, right? Or maybe not? Tell me about it in a fabulous review. Please and thank you!**


	13. Caught in a Lie

**A/N**: Hi! Here's another chapter of You Belong with Me. Originally I wanted this chapter to be a bit longer, but I realized I had to cut it off. To be honest, I haven't been able to come up with a good ending yet, so I need more time to think about it. So the good news is that you'll be getting at least one more chapter; but the bad news is that you might have to wait a while to get it. But don't worry, I'll constantly be thinking about it! Enjoy this chapter, and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

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Eleanor quietly made her way toward the girls' locker room door in the back of the school. She had forgotten that students needed a ticket to get into the dance; and since she hadn't bought one earlier and didn't have enough cash to buy one at the front door, her only option was to sneak in.

She had never been one to sneak into anywhere. In seventh grade, she and Brittany had snuck into an R-rated movie. Eleanor had felt so guilty that the next day she mailed an anonymous ten dollar bill to the theater.

But Eleanor wouldn't let herself back down on this one. After making sure no one was paying attention to her, she made her way to the back of the school. Thanks to all those soccer practices, she knew the girls' locker room door was always unlocked; the girls did this so the room would always be open in case someone forgot something in the locker, wanted to get in the gym for extra practice, or needed a secret make-out spot. Eleanor had never used to secret door, but she figured now was a good time to start.

Eleanor reached the door and grinned when it clicked open when she pulled the handle. She took a quick look around her and slipped inside.

She carefully navigated through the dark locker room toward the door that led to the gym. She could hear a catchy dance song and people laughing. The dance had just started, but it seemed to already be in full swing.

Eleanor took a deep breath and quickly pushed open the heavy door. The second she was out the door, she casually made her across the crowded gym. The last thing she needed was a chaperone asking her why she was in the locker room.

While Eleanor didn't think anyone saw her come out of the changing room, she managed to get a lot of curious stares thanks to her less-than-impressive appearance. In a sea of carefully styled curls and up-dos, Eleanor's hair was in a simple ponytail that was probably falling out by now. While the other girls had on expensive party dresses, Eleanor wore scuffed sneakers, plain blue jeans, and a ancient gray hooded sweatshirt over a t-shirt. She definently stood out from the crowd, but not in a way that she wanted to.

"Eleanor!" a voice cried. "I didn't know you were coming!"

Eleanor turned and saw Candice smiling at her. She looked even taller than usual in red high heels.

"You could have came over to my house to get ready," Candice said, noting Eleanor's obvious lack of fabulousness.

"It was kind of a last minute decision to come," Eleanor admitted, scanning the crowd for Alvin. "Have you seen Alvin?"

"Uh, yeah," Candice said, looking a little confused. She pointed toward the hallway. "I think he went out in the hall."

"Thanks," Eleanor said before she took off.

She stepped into the hall and looked around. It was almost empty, besides a couple kissing in the corner and two giggling freshman girls exiting the bathroom.

"Ellie?"

Eleanor's heart lifted as she turned around. Alvin was standing there, grinning at her.

"I knew you'd show up," he said with a wink.

Eleanor ran toward him and threw her arms around his shoulders. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him hard on the lips. Her heart pounded with happiness.

"Wow," Alvin said when she pulled away. He blinked in disbelief. He wasn't used to seeing Eleanor so bold; actually, _Eleanor_ wasn't used to seeing her so bold.

"I've decided I don't care about Brittany," Eleanor said, the words spilling out of her mouth uncontrolablly. "Let her show everyone. I can go without soccer for a little while, but I can't let my sister run my life. And maybe we could talk to the principal or something, tell him it's just a misunderstanding. And if they don't buy it, than whatever. There's always next year…"

"Eleanor," Alvin said.

"I'll get over it," Eleanor went on. "I mean, maybe I'm being a bad teammate, but I'm sure the girls would understand."

"Yeah, but…"

"But it'll be worth it," Eleanor said. "We'll be able to…"

"Eleanor!" Alvin said loudly.

Eleanor took a deep breath, disappointed about the interruption. She was on a roll. "What?"

"You didn't get my text did you?"

Eleanor blinked. "Text?"

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, forgetting that she had forgotten to turn it back on. She pressed the power button and sure enough, she had an unread text message from Alvin.

_Come to the dance ASAP,_ the message read. _I think B is bluffing._

"Bluffing?" Eleanor asked, looking up at Alvin. "Why would you think that?"

"I decided to talk to Simon about this whole situation yesterday," Alvin explained. "He told me that I should destroy the pictures, and to do that, I had to find out where Brittany hid the pictures. So I called Jeanette and asked her to look around and see if she could find them. She checked out Brittany's phone, computer, and camera, but she didn't see any photos. She went through Brittany's computer files she hadn't checked before a little bit ago when she was getting ready for the dance, and let me know that the pictures weren't there. Brittany doesn't have the pictures, Eleanor. She's bluffing."

Eleanor let the information sink in for a minute before she said, "Okay. But you said she showed you a picture of me holding the beer. So she had to get the picture from somewhere."

"Right," Alvin said with a nod. "Which means she got the picture from someone else."

Eleanor looked toward the gym of all the happy students jumping up and down to the heavy beat of a rock song. Any of those people could have the photo that threatened to ruin her whole high school sports career and reputation.

"Okay," Eleanor said with a sigh. "So how do we figure out who has it?"

Alvin shrugged. "I haven't come up with anything yet. Maybe one of our brainiac siblings can help us."

Eleanor forced a smile. "We'll think of something," she said, trying to sound confident.

Alvin smiled back. "I know we will."

A shiny silver dress in the distance caught Eleanor's eye. The pretty girl wearing the dress looked back, frowned, and made her way over toward Eleanor and Alvin.

"Well what do we have here?" Brittany said in a sarcastic sweet voice. "It looks like Cinderella managed to make it to the ball after all!"

"Yeah," Eleanor shot back. "Too bad her wicked step-sister got here first."

Alvin snorted out a laugh, earning a glare from his date.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany demanded, her icy blue eyes narrowed into an intimidating stare.

_Relax,_ Eleanor willed herself. _Don't let her get to you._

"I'm here to let you know that I'm not going to let you push me around anymore," Eleanor said, her voice surprisingly strong.

"Push you around?" Brittany repeated with a frown. She placed her manicured hands on her narrow hips. "We had a_ deal_, Eleanor. Let's not forget that _you're_ the one who is a boyfriend stealer."

"She didn't steal me," Alvin said. "Face it Brittany, it was over between us."

"I'm sure you'll find somebody else in no time," Eleanor said innocently. "I mean, you already have a make-out buddy during third period, so I'm sure getting a new date won't be a problem for you."

Brittany's hands balled into little fists at her sides. "That's it!" she yelled, stomping her foot. "I gave you too many chances. That stupid picture is going to be sent to everyone in the freaking state by midnight. So enjoy your last hour of being known as sweet little Eleanor, because when I'm done with you, you'll be known as the partying, boyfriend-stealing slut that you are!"

Brittany strutted toward the dance floor, purposely bumping Eleanor's shoulder as she walked by.

"Is everything alright?"

Alvin and Brittany turned to see Simon, Jeanette, and Theodore looking at them with worried stares.

"Not really," Eleanor answered honestly.

"Everyone keep an eye on Brittany," Alvin said. "Watch who she talks to…"

"Is this about the picture thing?" Jeanette asked.

"Yes!" Alvin and Eleanor answered.

"What picture thing?" Theodore asked.

"I'll explain it to you," Simon promised his younger brother. "Did she threaten to leak the photo?"

"Yeah," Alvin said, not taking his eyes off his ex-girlfriend.

"If anyone has the picture," Jeanette said, "it's most likely not one of her friends or people she usually hangs out with."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Well," Jeanette said. "I went through Brittany's texts, e-mails, and instant messages. She didn't mention anything about the pictures to her friends. I think she's working with someone she usually wouldn't work with."

"Nice snooping Jeanette," Alvin said, obviously eager to follow Brittany.

"Yes," Simon said with a nod. "Very impressive, Jeanette."

Jeanette's cheeks turned pink as she sheepishly grinned. "Thanks."

"Let's go," Alvin urged. "Everyone keep their cell phones on and don't hesitate to call if you see something out of the ordinary."

The group split up, and Eleanor went with Alvin.

"You liked that didn't you?" she asked.

Alvin raised a brow. "Liked what?"

"Being in charge," Eleanor said with a smile.

"Of course," he said with a shrug. "But really, I just want this whole thing to be over with. I say after this ends, we lock that sister of yours in an insane asylum. The girl is crazy possessive."

Eleanor grinned, but once again she was reminded that Brittany was her sister. And every time she thought about her own family member wanting to hurt her, her heart ached a little.

"Damn it," she heard Alvin mutter. "We lost her."

Eleanor looked around the rainbow of dresses to see that Alvin was right. Brittany was out of their sight. There was a brief glimmer of hope when she saw Missy, Muffy, Courtney, and some of Brittany's other friends. But Brittany wasn't with them.

The music switched to a slow-tempo song, and Eleanor watched as nervous boys asked girls to dance with them. She couldn't help but feel jealous; she could be dancing with Alvin right now if her sister wasn't so cold hearted.

Alvin and Eleanor continued making their way through the crowd with no luck. Finally, Alvin's cell phone rang. He picked it up with urgency.

"What do you got?" He asked. After a few seconds, he rolled his eyes. "Dave! Not now… I'm busy!" He sighed. "Yeah, fine, I'll pick some up on the way home." He paused and frowned. "Well, sorry, but I'm at a dance! Couldn't you have waited, like, two hours?" Alvin rolled his eyes again. "Look, I'm in the middle of something, Dave, I'll call you back." Shaking his head, Alvin ended the call.

"What was that all about?" Eleanor asked.

"Dave wants us to pick up some milk at the grocery store on the way home," Alvin said. "Apparently he just couldn't wait to ask."

Eleanor chuckled as her own phone began to ring. "Hello?" she asked, not bothering to check Caller ID.

"Eleanor?" an uncertain voice spoke.

"Theodore?" Eleanor asked. It was the first time she had spoke to him since she rejected his Homecoming Dance invite earlier in the week. She stuck a finger in her other ear to block out the loud power ballad coming out of the speakers. "Did you find anything out?"

"Um, yeah," Theodore said. "I tried calling Alvin, but the line was busy. So maybe you already heard something…"

"No," Eleanor said quickly. "It was just Dave. What do you know, Theodore?"

"Brittany has been talking to Charles Anderson for a while," Theodore said.

Eleanor frowned. Charles Anderson was one of the nerdiest kids in school. Eleanor had heard Brittany make fun of Charles with her friends a number of times, saying how his mother was the closest thing to a girlfriend he'd ever get and that his hair was greasy enough to fry food in.

"That's weird," Eleanor said.

"That's what I thought," Theodore said. "Anyway, Brittany just left. Charles is standing by the equipment closet if you want to talk to him."

"We do," Eleanor said. "Just keep an eye on him, okay?"

"Okay." Eleanor just knew Theodore had nodded when he said that.

"And Theodore," Eleanor said with a grin, "thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Theodore said kindly before they hung up.

"What was that about?" Alvin asked.

Eleanor shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans. "Theodore said Brittany was talking to Charles Anderson."

Alvin's eyebrows raised. "Charles Anderson? The kid with the giant glasses? The one whose mom still dresses him?"

"That's just a rumor," Eleanor corrected. "But yeah, that's him. He's by the equipment closet."

"Let's go," Alvin said, grabbing Eleanor's hand. "I think we've found our guy."

Eleanor squeezed Alvin's hand as they hurried toward the other side of the gymnasium.

"I _hope _we found him," Eleanor said softly. "I really, really hope so."

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I wrote this in literally thirty minutes, can you tell? Haha, anyway, the best parts are coming up, so get ready! :)


	14. Confessions

**A/N:** Thanks for being patient everyone! Like I mentioned, I had a really hard time coming up with a decent ending… and I won't lie, I'm not very pleased with it. But I really struggled. So I hope you aren't too disappointed in it. I did my best. Oh, and I kind of mislead you when I said it's the "end." There will be one more chapter after this, but things start to wrap up here. Enjoy.

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"There he is," Eleanor said, nodding toward the chubby pale boy in the corner of the gym. The grease from his hair reflected the bright lights, making his hair look various shades of pink and purple. He had a goofy grin on his pimply face and was staring into space. He looked completely out of it, almost as if he was under the influence of something.

Alvin picked up the speed when Eleanor identified him (Alvin wasn't sure who Charles was). When Charles saw Alvin and Eleanor approaching him, his faraway smile was quickly replaced with a look of uneasiness. He began to shuffle away, but Alvin firmly grabbed his chunky arm.

"Not so fast," Alvin said, pulling Charles closer to him. "We need to talk."

Charles glanced nervously around the crowded room. "Oh, uh, hi Alvin," he said in his slightly nasally voice. "W-what's up?"

Alvin ignored Charles as he dragged him to the nearby equipment closet. Alvin glanced around the gym before opening the door and pushing Charles inside. Luckily most of the chaperones were involved in breaking up a small scuffle between two sophomore boys to notice that the equipment room was being occupied. Alvin surveyed the area once more before motioning Eleanor inside.

_Wow,_ Eleanor thought. _Our school really needs to lock their doors._

Alvin quietly closed the door once the three of them were inside. He flipped on the light switch, but only one bulb worked. The dim light shined right above Charles as if he was in an interrogation room.

"What is this all about?" Charles asked, sitting on a tall stack of the folded wrestling mats. He managed to keep his voice calm, but he looked as if he just got kidnapped by bank robbers.

"Don't play dumb with us," Alvin said. "You know we didn't bring you here to have a tea party."

Charles squirmed. "Uh, look, if you don't mind, I sort of want to get back to the dance…"

"To do what?" Alvin asked with a laugh. "It's not like anyone will dance with you."

"Alvin!" Eleanor gasped. She couldn't believe what a Brittany-like thing he had just said. But Alvin glanced at her, throwing her a look that said to trust him.

"Well, I guess you did talk to _one_ girl tonight," Alvin went on. "Word on the street is that you've been talking to Brittany Miller." He raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?"

Charles sat up a little straighter, obviously pleased to hear that people had actually seen him interacting with Brittany. "Yes," he said. "It's true."

"Really?" Alvin folded his arms across his chest. "I find that kind of strange."

"Y-you do?" Charles adjusted his glasses with trembling hands.

"Well, yeah," Alvin said. "I mean, this is Brittany Miller we're talking about. She's one of the prettiest, most popular girls at school. Why would someone like _Brittany Miller_ talk to _you?"_ Alvin suddenly moved closer to Charles, making the thin boy flinch. "A nerd. A geek. A _nobody_."

"Alvin," Eleanor warned, not liking where this was going. It reminded her of when Brittany couldn't believe that Alvin had kissed someone as "lame" as Eleanor. "Is this really necessary?"

"The only reason why Brittany would talk to a loser like you," Alvin went on, ignoring Eleanor, "is if she _wants_ something." Alvin looked closely at Charles. "So what is it, Anderson? What does Brittany want from you?"

Charles took a deep breath. "She just wanted to talk," he said, but not very convincingly.

"Charles," Eleanor decided it was time she stepped in. "We don't want any trouble. We just think that Brittany has something against me, and you're involved in it."

"We _know_ you're involved in it," Alvin corrected, staring at Charles with angry, unforgiving eyes.

"Sorry," Charles said, looking at his scuffed dress shoes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Eleanor and Alvin exchanged glances, wondering how long this impromptu game of Good Cop, Bad Cop was going to last. Even though Eleanor did find it kind of hot the way Alvin was taking charge and being aggressive. However, this made her wonder if Alvin had been watching too many crime shows on CBS.

"Charles," Eleanor tried again, trying to sound as nice as she could. "This is blackmail we're talking about. I know you know what will happen to me if that picture gets leaked. Please… just tell us what happened. Maybe we can work out some kind of deal."

Charles frowned. "Why would I want to help _you?_" he asked, no longer sounding like a meek nerd. "You're the slut who stole Brittany's boyfriend."

Before Eleanor had time to react, Alvin picked up Charles from the wrestling mat, slammed him against the wall, and grabbed him by his collar. Charles's face looked even paler than it usually did, and his eyes were wide with fear.

"What did you just say?" Alvin demanded.

Charles opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He was paralyzed in fear.

Eleanor's heart pounded. Half of her was still reeling from the suddenness of Alvin's actions, while the other half was so flattered that Alvin might punch a guy in the face for calling her a slut.

"You have two choices," Alvin said calmly as he tightened his grip on Charles's collar. Eleanor swore she heard Charles whimper. "You cut out this smartass routine and tell us what's going on with you and Brittany, or I can just rearrange your face right now. What'll it be?"

"I'll talk," Charles said quickly.

Alvin raised his eyebrows. "And you'll tell us everything. If I find out you lied, I'll punch you so hard that your ancestors are gonna hurt."

Charles nodded frantically. "You got it!"

"Good." Alvin dropped Charles, sending him straight to the floor. He wheezed for air as his complexion slowly returned to normal.

Alvin glanced at Eleanor. "Too harsh?" he asked.

"Not at all," Eleanor replied. Charles deserved that. She was tired of being called a slut these last few days. And it looked as if the little punk was finally going to talk. Maybe they could finally get to the bottom of this.

"Okay Charles," Alvin said, being all-business once again. He leaned against the wall and watched as Charles finally began to catch his breath. "Go on."

Charles looked up at Alvin, no longer pretending to me smug. "Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

Alvin frowned. "What is this, a fairy tale?"

"Please do, Charles," Eleanor said, sitting in a metal fold-up chair. "Don't leave anything out."

"Okay." Charles took a deep breath. "It all started on Wednesday, in Chemistry lab…"

_I was looking through new pictures on my digital camera. We still had a few minutes until class started, and I was bored. So I went through the pictures; most of them were taken on Saturday night during Missy Snootson's party. I wasn't officially invited, but when I arrived, everyone was either too drunk or too busy making out to care. My friends and I just took some random photos, mostly just documenting the fact that we were present. Obviously guys like us don't get invited to very many cool parties, so it was kind of a big deal for us._

_Suddenly, I looked up and there she was: Brittany Miller. I know it's corny, but every time I see her, I swear time slows down. She gracefully made her way into the classroom, her soft hair flowing behind her, her eyes an amazing shade of blue, and her pink sundress fitting her body perfectly. I've had a thing for her for years, but I was pretty sure she just knew me as The Boy with the Bad Skin. She barely knew I existed. _

_Brittany sat next to me (because she has to; we have assigned seats in that class). I figured she was just going to ignore me as usual, but she didn't. She asked what I was doing._

_My mouth went dry. It was so unexpected! Brittany Miller, the prettiest girl in school, was talking to me! She was actually interested in what I was doing!_

_"Are you deaf?" Brittany asked, getting irritated. "I asked what you were looking at."_

_"Just pictures," I answered, my voice cracking a little. God, how embarrassing. _

_Brittany leaned a little closer toward my camera. She smelled like vanilla perfume; how intoxicating. _

_"That looks like Missy's house," Brittany observed, nodding toward the tiny screen. _

_"It is," I said. "It's from Missy's party last weekend."_

_Brittany laughed. I knew it was a mocking laugh, but her smile still lit up the room._

_"_You_ were at Missy's?" Brittany asked. "People must have been really wasted to let _you_ in." _

_"I guess so," I said, forcing a laugh. I knew I was being pathetic, but I wanted this conversation to last as long as possible. _

_"Can I see them?" Brittany suddenly asked._

_"See what?" I asked, not thinking clearly. _

_"The pictures," Brittany said, rolling her eyes. "Duh."_

_"Oh," I said. I handed her the camera. "Of course. Here."_

_I wasn't sure why Brittany was so interested in seeing those pictures. I heard that she had gotten pretty messed up that night, so I figured that she just wanted to see what had happened at that party, since she was probably too drunk to remember anything._

_I watched as she scrolled through the pictures. Sometimes she would let out an amused laugh or roll her eyes at someone. She went through them pretty quickly, but she stopped to look at one a little longer than the others. _

_"That's weird," she said quietly to herself. I leaned over to see what she was looking at, but she pulled the camera away when she saw that I got too close. "Do you mind?" she snapped, even though it was my camera._

_"Sorry," I said, feeling flustered. But I did manage to see what Brittany had looking at; it was a picture of you, Eleanor, holding a can of beer. I didn't really notice that picture until then._

_Anyway, Brittany scrolled through a few more pictures, announced she was done, and handed my camera back to me. And that was that. The only other things she said to me the rest of the class period was, "You're standing on my foot, Stupid!" and "What's the answer to number seven?"_

_I didn't really think much more of it, until yesterday morning when she came up to me when I was getting my books out of my locker for first period. My friends stood there in awe, amazed that she had voluntarily came up to our little group._

_"Would you guys get lost?" Brittany asked them. She pointed at me. "I need to talk to him alone."_

_My friends snickered, but they did what Brittany told them. She looked uncharacteristically frazzled._

_I was going to ask her what was wrong when she yanked me into a nearby empty classroom._

_"Look," she said. "You have something I want."_

_I was incredibly confused, but somehow delighted. "I do?"_

_"I need one of those pictures I saw on your camera yesterday," Brittany explained. She no longer sounded bossy and condescending; she sounded desperate._

_"What for?" I asked._

_Brittany rolled her eyes. "That's none of your business. I just need it."_

_I know I should have been grateful that Brittany was even talking to me, let alone asking me a favor, but for some reason, I felt oddly confident. _

_"It's _my_ picture," I said. "So it_ is_ my business."_

_Brittany let out a huffy breath. "Just give me the picture, Geek."_

_"Not if you speak to me like that," I said. This was great. For once, I was in control; and it felt good. "Why do you need my pictures?"_

_Brittany quickly explained her plan to me: She needed the picture to blackmail Eleanor. She didn't really tell me what she was blackmailing Eleanor for. She mentioned that she seduced Alvin behind her back, but I still wasn't sure how the blackmail would be used._

_"So can I have the picture now?" Brittany asked, losing patience. _

_"Sure," I said. But I wasn't ready for this control to end. "As long as you dance with me at the Homecoming Dance tomorrow night."_

_Brittany's jaw dropped. "What?"_

_It took some negotiating, but Brittany eventually agreed to my deal. She asked me to quickly print her out one picture of Eleanor for the time being, and she told me she'd let me know when/if she needed more copies to be made. _

"So earlier today Brittany tells me that I should bring my memory card because she had a feeling that I would need to upload the photo on a computer tonight to e-mail everyone," Charles went on. "Then I went home and got ready for the dance. And now I'm sitting in a closet that smells like rubber balls with people who have every reason to beat me up."

Eleanor glanced at Alvin, wondering if he would get a chuckle out of Charles saying "rubber balls."

But he didn't. Instead, Alvin just stared.

"Wow," he said. "That was very… detailed."

"You said not to leave anything out," Charles grumbled.

"We did," Alvin said with a nod.

"And we appreciate it," Eleanor added, even though she could have done without the part about how Charles was smitten with Brittany, who had been nothing but mean to him since middle school.

"Great," Charles said with a sigh. "Now, if we're done here, I'd like to go out and get the dance I've been promised…"

"Hold on there, Chuck," Alvin said firmly. "We have it on good authority that you were talking to Brittany a few minutes ago. What were you talking about?"

"She wanted the memory card," Charles said.

Eleanor's heart beat sped up. "Did you give it to her?"

Charles shrugged. "Of course."

Alvin picked Charles up and slammed him against the wall for a second time that night.

"Why didn't you tell us that in the first place?" Alvin asked angrily.

"You didn't ask," Charles said.

"What part of _tell us everything_ didn't you understand?" Alvin demanded, shoving Charles harder against the wall.

"I was getting to it!" Charles tried to convince Alvin.

"I warned you not to be a smartass," Alvin reminded him.

"I'm just trying to help the woman I love!" Charles cried.

Alvin rolled his eyes.

Suddenly his cell phone vibrated, signaling he had a text. He used one hand to fish his phone out of his pants pocket and tossed it to Eleanor.

"What does it say?" he asked.

Eleanor read the text that was from Jeanette: _Meet us in the downstairs computer lab ASAP. Hurry!_

"We have to go to the computer lab," Eleanor said. "I don't know why, but Jeanette says it's urgent."

Alvin dropped Charles like a sack of potatoes. "Okay let's go." He noticed Charles scrambling toward the door. He grabbed him by the end of his blue and gray striped sweater. "Not so fast Pizza Face. You're coming with us."

Charles groaned as Alvin quietly opened the door. Once the coast was clear, the three of them hurried across the gym. Nobody really noticed them; the students were too busy grinding on each other to a 50 Cent song while the chaperones attempted to pull them apart.

Once they were out of the gym, they walked straight toward the computer lab. Miraculously, no adults had caught them.

When they reached the room, the door was closed but the lights were on. Eleanor cautiously opened the door. When she did, she immediately heard Brittany yelling, "LET GO OF ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Eleanor's eyes widened at what she saw. Brittany was on Simon's lap in a chair in the back of the room, being held tightly by the intelligent chipmunk. She kicked and flailed around, but Simon didn't release her. Eleanor had no idea he was so strong.

"Lemme go!" Brittany whined, squirming even more.

"Not until you give us the memory card," Jeanette said.

Brittany stopped moving and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "_Never_," she said. Eleanor, Alvin, and Charles made their way toward the others, which caught Brittany's attention. She rolled her eyes when Charles timidly waved at her. "You told, didn't you?"

"No!" Charles cried. "I didn't! I swear!"

"He didn't tell us where you were, if that's what you're wondering," Alvin said. He nodded toward Simon, Theodore, and Jeanette. "They followed you here."

"Why are you in here, Brittany?" Eleanor asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Brittany rolled her eyes again. "I was about to upload your little party picture to e-mail to the school. Duh. You know that."

"Maybe we can work out some sort of deal," Eleanor tried again with the deal thing.

"Ha!" Brittany let out a humorless laugh. "A deal! Oh, that's _rich_."

"Just give us the memory card," Alvin ordered.

"As if!" Brittany looked at him as if he were crazy.

Alvin sighed. "This is ridiculous," he said. He looked at Simon. "Do you guys mind if Brittany and I talk? Just the two of us?"

Simon looked a little unconvinced. "Are you sure, Alvin?"

Alvin nodded. Simon released Brittany, who quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Just wait for us outside," Alvin whispered to Simon as the others filed out of the room. "In case she does something crazy."

"Of course," Simon agreed.

Eleanor knew she should go with Jeanette and the Chipmunks, but she couldn't bring herself to. She watched Brittany hike up the hem of her silver dress to show more leg. It became clear what Brittany was going to try to do during this one-on-one time with Alvin. It also explained why she didn't protest Alvin's offer.

Brittany frowned when she saw that Eleanor wasn't making an effort to leave.

"Are you deaf?" Brittany asked her sister rudely. "Alvin and I want to talk _alone_."

"Right," Eleanor said, pulling Alvin over to the opposite side of the room.

"Hey!" Brittany whined.

"Hang on," Eleanor called. She turned to Alvin, who looked puzzled. She lowered her voice so Brittany couldn't hear. "I know you want to talk to her, but I don't think that's going to get us anywhere."

"But Eleanor…"

"Let _me _talk to her," Eleanor suggested. "I know she won't like it, but she's just going to try to flirt with you the whole time."

"I'm _waiting_," Brittany reminded them, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Just let me try," Eleanor pleaded.

Alvin sighed but nodded. "Okay. Do you know what you're going to say?"

"Of course," Eleanor lied. She really wasn't quite sure what to say; but she had a few ideas.

"Alright," Alvin finally agreed. He turned his attention toward Brittany. "Sorry Brittany, but there's been a change of plans."

Brittany blinked. "What?"

Alvin ran toward the door. "See ya!"

Brittany's jaw dropped. "Alvin!" She hurried to catch up to Alvin, but the door was nearly slammed in her face. Brittany let out a frustrated yell and stomped her silver heel on the ground. She whipped around to face Eleanor.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Brittany asked, her eyes full of hate.

"I think we should talk," Eleanor said.

Brittany sat in a nearby computer chair and folded her arms across her ample chest. "Whatever you say isn't going to change my mind."

"I know," Eleanor said calmly. She hesitated before she spoke again, but she decided it was the right thing to say. "That's why I'm giving up."

"Because whatever you say, I'm just going to…" Brittany paused as she realized what Eleanor had just said. "Wait. What?"

"I said I'm giving up," Eleanor repeated. "You win. I'm going to let you upload the photo."

Brittany was speechless. She just stared ahead at her sister.

"What are you waiting for?" Eleanor asked. "Go on and send the picture to the school."

Brittany shook her head in disbelief. "Y-you're okay with it?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Not really. But I can't just let you control me with blackmail the rest of high school. So go ahead and share the picture with everyone, Brittany. I mean, sure, this means you won't have anything on me anymore, so I'll get to date Alvin. But you'll ruin my reputation and soccer career, so I guess you'll still benefit from it."

Brittany opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. It was obvious that she hadn't thought out the blackmail thing all the way through.

"What's wrong, Brittany?" Eleanor asked. "This _is _what you wanted, right? To humiliate me and get me kicked off the soccer team? I thought you'd be more excited about this." Eleanor pretended to be confused and then have a thought dawn on her. "Oh! Maybe you're upset because you realize that your little game of cat and mouse is over. You thought that I cared too much about soccer to let you leak the picture. You thought I was completely under control; you didn't think I'd just _let_ you send it." Eleanor leaned closer to her sister. "But face it, Brittany. The minute you send out that picture, you'll have nothing on me and you lose Alvin. I mean, technically you already lost him anyway, given the fact that you…"

"Stop it!" Brittany yelled, making Eleanor jump. "Just stop it!"

Eleanor watched as Brittany buried her face into her hands. When she looked up, her blue eyes were shiny with tears.

"I don't care about getting you kicked off the stupid soccer team!" Brittany cried. "I just wanted Alvin back!"

Eleanor put her hands on her hips. "You didn't want him back when you were smooching up some guy during third period on Monday."

Tears fell from Brittany's eyes and slid down her cheek. "I was mad, okay?" she shouted. "Alvin and I were fighting and I… I don't know, I just wanted to get even I guess." She sniffled. "Besides, it's not like _he's _never kissed another girl behind my back before."

Eleanor wondered if Brittany was talking about her or some other girl he had hooked up with when he and Brittany were dating. She decided not to think about it too much; they needed to stay on topic.

"I've loved Alvin since I was eight," Brittany went on. "I can't lose him to someone else. Especially _you_."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Why? Because I'm not pretty enough for him?"

"No," Brittany sobbed. "Because you're my _sister_."

Eleanor let that sink in for a moment. She knew Brittany was a massive bitch, but she had a point. Eleanor tried to imagine Alvin dumping her for Jeanette or Brittany; not a pretty sight.

"I'm sorry, Brittany," Eleanor said softly. She sat down next to her crying sister. "I understand why you're upset, I really do. But I can't help how I feel about Alvin."

"I know," Brittany said, covering her nose. Eleanor guessed that snot was coming out of it, so she handed her sister a tissue from a nearby Kleenex box, which she accepted. "I didn't care that you had a dumb crush on him. I figured I'd have nothing to worry about, that Alvin would be too interested in me to care about you. I just don't understand why he would leave me for…"

"It's because you're mean, Brittany," Eleanor blurted. She had wanted to say that to her sister for years. "You're mean to him. You're mean to Jeanette, you're mean to Simon and Theodore, and you're mean to me. You're mean to basically everyone. That's why people don't like you."

Brittany narrowed her eyes. "If I'm so disliked, then why was I voted Homecoming Princess?"

Eleanor shrugged. "From what I gather, it's because you look the part. And that is an exact quote."

Brittany shook her head, but it was obvious that she was buying what Eleanor was saying.

The sisters sat in silence for a few moments, both deep in thought. Eleanor wished she would let Brittany carry on with the picture yesterday; then she could actually enjoy the dance with Alvin. But she figured doing this was better late than never.

"I really do love him," Brittany said suddenly, making Eleanor look at her. "It may seem like I don't, but I do. I don't know why I act like I do sometimes… I just do."

Eleanor nodded. Somehow, she really did believe that Brittany loved Alvin. She had just forgotten how to show it.

"I can't get over the fact that he…" Brittany paused. She tried to speak more, but Eleanor could tell that she had a lump in her throat. "That he… doesn't… l-like me back."

Eleanor couldn't believe it, but she actually felt sorry for her sister. After all the cruel, hateful things Brittany had done and said to her in the last few days, she still felt sympathy for her.

But she knew why she felt bad for Brittany. It was because she knew how it felt to know the person you like doesn't like you back.

Eleanor took Brittany's hands in hers. "Brittany," she said, her voice full of warmth. "I know you're upset about this, but there are hundreds of guys in the school who would _love_ to go out with you. You're pretty and fun and one of the coolest girls in school. It's not like you'll be alone for long."

Brittany looked at Eleanor with sad eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being so nice to me," Brittany said, although she sounded grateful. "I've been so horrible to you lately. Why are you saying such nice things?"

Eleanor grinned. "Because," she said, "you're my sister and I love you."

The corners of Brittany's mouth turned up slightly. Eleanor had a feeling that it had been a while since anyone had told Brittany they loved her. It was as if the ice around Brittany's heart had melted with those simple three words.

Eleanor looked closely at her sister; her eye make-up had run down her face, her up-do was about to come undone, and her dress was wrinkled; but for some reason, Eleanor thought it was the most beautiful Brittany had looked all night.

Brittany reached down and pulled something out of her high heel. It was the memory card.

"Here," Brittany said, handing the tiny card over to Brittany. "This isn't worth it."

Eleanor squeezed the card in her palm and exhaled. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Thank you," Eleanor said.

Brittany just nodded, dabbing her eyes with the tissue.

"So," Eleanor said. "Are we okay?"

Brittany hesitated before nodding. "Yeah," she said with a weak smile. "I guess we are."

"Good," Eleanor said with a smile. She and her sister stood up to leave. "Oh, and Brittany?"

"Yeah?"

"What you just did is way cooler than being Homecoming Princess," Eleanor said.

Brittany grinned, but rolled her eyes. "Let's not get _too_ sappy here," she said. Her smile never left her face, but her eyes were serious. "I'm sorry, Ellie. For everything."

"Thanks Britt," Eleanor said, her heart swelling in her chest. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, there's a half hour left until the dance is over. We might as well go out there and enjoy it while we can."

Brittany scoffed and looked Eleanor up and down. "You're actually willing to go back out there in that get-up?"

Eleanor smirked. "I wouldn't worry about me, Brittany. I believe you still owe a _dance _with someone."

Brittany groaned. "If there really are hundreds of boys that want to date me, why do I get stuck with Charles Anderson of all people?"

"Just lucky I guess," Eleanor said with a shrug, causing them both to giggle. She couldn't remember the last time she and Brittany had shared a laugh; she realized how much she had missed it.

"Let's get out of here," Brittany said, heading for the door.

"Sounds good to me," Eleanor agreed. She turned to her sister. "I'm glad we worked this out, Brittany."

Brittany gave her a crooked grin. "Me too. I was running out of ideas to tear you and Alvin apart!"

Eleanor frowned. "Wait, what?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding, Ellie. Sort of." She gave her sister a playful wink. "Now let's get out there and dance! Right after I fix my make-up in the bathroom," she added.

Eleanor smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy, so at ease.

As soon as the sisters walked out of the computer lab, Eleanor knew it was going to be a new chapter of her life; and she couldn't wait to get it started.

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**Sorry if you were expecting a "smack down" or whatever… but I figured Eleanor would use her kindness to resolve this rather than any fighting. Please review! There's only one more chapter left!**


	15. Right Where You Belong

**A/N: Wow… I can't believe this story was published March 28, 2010... ten months ago yesterday. It doesn't feel like I've been working on it that long. So I guess after 15 chapters and 10 months, it's time to call it quits. So I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story, and thanks to everyone who put it on your story alert and favorites list. That means a lot as a writer, as many of you know. Also, thank you to everyone who made suggestions for this story (I used a few of them!).**

**Lastly, thanks so much to everyone who kept an open mind toward Alvin and Eleanor and giving the story a chance. It's much appreciated. So, without further ado, here is the 15****th**** and final chapter of _You Belong With Me._**

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Eleanor and the others (except Brittany, who immediately went to the restroom to fix her tear-stained face and hair) didn't waste any time getting back to the dance. After all that drama, they were eager to spend the rest of the Homecoming night having and good time.

The mood had changed since they had left less than thirty minutes ago. The dance floor was a lot less crowded; many people had left or were too tired to dance anymore.

"Let's go," Alvin said, taking Eleanor's hand and leading her to the center of the gym. Eleanor felt curious eyes them, probably wondering why Alvin was holding Eleanor's hand and not Brittany's. But to her surprise, Eleanor didn't care that people were staring.

_Let them think what they want,_ she thought.

The techno song that had been playing began to fade out and was replaced by a much slower song.

"Alright kids," the DJ's voice boomed from the stage. "We have time for one last dance of the night. So grab that special someone and get on the dance floor."

People who had been relaxing at the tables were scrambling to find their crush to dance with. Alvin pulled Eleanor close to him and let his hands rest on her hips.

"Too bad we only get one dance," Eleanor said, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"We'll have plenty more," Alvin promised with a smile.

Eleanor's heart fluttered in her chest. She had dreamed about this moment for so long; except in her fantasy, she was wearing a gorgeous dress and her hair was neatly styled. But she didn't care about her less-than-perfect appearance; this moment was perfect the way it was.

Well, not quite.

Eleanor glanced over Alvin's shoulder and saw Theodore sitting alone at an empty table. He stared at his black shoes, his hands folded in his lap. He looked so sad, so lonely.

As happy as Eleanor was dancing with Alvin, she knew her guilt wouldn't go away until Theodore's time at the dance improved. It couldn't have been easy for him to help her and Alvin get together all night.

Eleanor released Alvin and said, "I'll be right back."

Alvin frowned. "What are you…"

"There's something I have to do," Eleanor said, making her way through the dancing couples. "Excuse me! Oops, sorry! Excuse me!"

Eleanor finally got through and saw a pretty, petite blonde quietly standing by the wall, watching their classmates dance. Eleanor recognized her as Juliet, a girl in their grade who Theodore used to have a crush on in grade school. She looked just as lonely as Theodore.

Eleanor took a deep breath and walked up to the small girl, hoping her plan would work. Juliet was pretty, with her doll-like facial features and cute blonde pixie hair cut. She wasn't part of Brittany's coveted "popular crowd" though, because she was sweet, shy, and kind; three characteristics that didn't earn you any points with the cool kids.

"Hi," Eleanor said, trying to sound as friendly as she could.

"Hello," Juliet said, looking a little surprised. The two rarely spoke to each other.

"So," Eleanor went on, knowing Juliet probably thought she was crazy. "I noticed you were standing here alone."

Juliet gave a sad smile. "Yeah."

"Well," Eleanor said, "I know a really nice guy who is also by himself on the last dance. So I was thinking that maybe you two could…"

"Oh," Juliet said, her blue eyes wide. "I don't know…"

"It's Theodore," Eleanor blurted.

Juliet grinned. "Theodore! I haven't talked to him in…"

"Let's go!" Eleanor said, grabbing Juliet's small hand and pulling her to Theodore. If she didn't hurry, the song would end before they could dance together.

Theodore's eyes widened as the girls approached him.

"Theodore," Eleanor said, pointing toward Juliet. "You remember Juliet."

Theodore nodded. "Of course. Hi Juliet."

"Hi Theodore," Juliet said with a shy grin.

"The dance will end soon," Eleanor said quickly. "And you two shouldn't have to spend it watching other people dance."

"I guess you're right," Theodore said. He stood up and nervously looked at Juliet. "D-do you want to dance?"

Juliet's smile widened. "I'd love to."

The shy teens grabbed hands. Theodore smiled warmly at Eleanor.

"Thanks Ellie," he said as he and Juliet began to walk to the center of the gym.

"Anything for a friend," Eleanor said with a smile, her heart filling up with happiness. She felt _so _much better. Maybe Theodore hadn't gotten exactly who he wanted (her) but maybe he'd get a chance to get to know a really nice girl.

Eleanor turned around to head back to the dance floor. She found herself face to face with Alvin.

"Did you follow me?" she asked. She had been so focused on getting Juliet and Theodore to dance together that she didn't really notice anything else.

"Well, yeah," Alvin admitted. "I wasn't just going to stand in the middle of the gym by myself. How lame would that look?"

Eleanor laughed and hugged him. She never let go of the hug as they swayed to the slow-tempo music.

Eleanor rested her head on Alvin's chest and sighed dreamily. Despite wearing ratty jeans and a hoodie, she had never felt more girly. As corny as it sounded, she felt like a princess when she danced with Alvin. She was embarrassed for just thinking it, but it was true. She felt so incredibly happy.

Eleanor's eyes wandered around the crowd and landed on Brittany. Brittany stood alone on the opposite side of the gym; which was odd, because Brittany was rarely alone in a public place. She was staring at Eleanor and Alvin. She wasn't glaring at them like Eleanor expected her to. Instead she looked very sad. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, but not in an arrogant way; it looked like she was trying to warm herself. Even though it was dark and Brittany was standing several feet away, Eleanor could tell that she was trying not to cry.

This made Eleanor feel uneasy, and for some reason she felt that she had a long way to go in repairing her and her sister's relationship. Brittany was not going to let go of Alvin easily.

"You okay?" Alvin asked.

Eleanor looked up and smiled. "I've never been better." And then she did a very un-Eleanor like thing; she pulled down on the front of Alvin's shirt, making his head come toward hers. She kissed him, and she inwardly smiled when he eagerly kissed back.

She realized that maybe she shouldn't have done that with Brittany watching; but she refused to feel bad about. Alvin was _her _boyfriend now, and she wasn't going to hide it from anyone. If she wanted a kiss, then she was proudly going to get one.

The kiss ended when the music faded out.

"And that was your fifty-first annual Albert Einstein Homecoming Dance!" The D.J. announced as the fluorescent gym lights turned on, making the crowd groan.

"Pretty crazy dance, huh?" Alvin said, not letting go of his girlfriend.

"Yeah," Eleanor agreed. "But I wouldn't have traded it for anything."

"Me neither," Alvin said. "Well, let's get out of here. Maybe tomorrow I'll show you what you've been doing wrong with your soccer passes."

Eleanor's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me? What do you mean what_ I've_ been doing wrong? You turned the ball over like seven times in your last game!"

Alvin smirked. "What game were you watching? I had two assists!"

"Yeah," Eleanor said with a laugh. "After assisting the _other_ team!"

"Oh Eleanor," Alvin said, shaking his head. "You have_ so_ much to learn."

"Well," Eleanor said, grabbing his hand. "I'm willing to learn."

"Good." Alvin squeezed her hand. "I'm willing to teach."

Eleanor giggled as she and Alvin walked hand-in-hand out of the gymnasium. Their flirty banter was stupid and often pointless, but it never got old. And this time, she didn't even feel bad about flirting with him; because he was _her_ boyfriend now. Just the thought of that made Eleanor's smile bigger.

After all this time, Alvin had finally realized that he belonged with her.

_The End_

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**Thanks again for reading this story, especially those of you who have followed it since the beginning. This story is over, but my writing isn't! I have some really good ideas in store for future stories, as well as stories I'm still working on. So stay tuned!**


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